A plump youth crowned with vine leaves reclines on a couch, fingering the black bow of his robe and offering a brimming goblet of wine. Painted for Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte, it is both the god Bacchus and a Roman boy in costume. The fruit bowl, with a split pomegranate and a spoiled apple, hints that pleasure fades.
Look closer
In 2009, reflectography confirmed a tiny figure of a painter at his easel reflected on the glass carafe, thought to be Caravaggio himself. It is invisible to the naked eye.
Looks like this
Compared by a vision model
