Narcissus, c.1608/10 by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
Canvas Print - 10981-CMM
Location: Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica a Palazzo Corsini, Rome, ItalyOriginal Size: 113 x 97 cm
Giclée Canvas Print | $62.50 USD
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*Max printing size: 41.3 x 33.8 in
*Max framing size: Long side up to 28"
"Narcissus" will be custom-printed for your order using the latest giclée printing technology. This technique ensures that the Canvas Print captures an exceptional level of detail, showcasing vibrant and vivid colors with remarkable clarity.
Our use of the finest quality, fine-textured canvas lends art reproductions a painting-like appearance. Combined with a satin-gloss coating, it delivers exceptional print outcomes, showcasing vivid colors, intricate details, deep blacks, and impeccable contrasts. The canvas structure is also highly compatible with canvas stretching frames, further enhancing its versatility.
To ensure proper stretching of the artwork on the stretcher-bar, we add additional blank borders around the printed area on all sides.
Our printing process utilizes cutting-edge technology and employs the Giclée printmaking method, ensuring exceptional quality. The colors undergo independent verification, guaranteeing a lifespan of over 100 years.
Please note that there are postal restrictions limiting the size of framed prints to a maximum of 28 inches along the longest side of the painting. If you desire a larger art print, we recommend utilizing the services of your local framing studio.
*It is important to mention that the framing option is unavailable for certain paintings, such as those with oval or round shapes.
If you select a frameless art print of "Narcissus" by Caravaggio, it will be prepared for shipment within 48 hours. However, if you prefer a framed artwork, the printing and framing process will typically require approximately 7-8 days before it is ready to be shipped.
We provide complimentary delivery for up to two unframed (rolled-up) art prints in a single order. Our standard delivery is free and typically takes 10-14 working days to arrive.
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All unframed art prints are delivered rolled up in secure postal tubes, ensuring their protection during transportation. Framed art prints, on the other hand, are shipped in cardboard packaging with additional corner protectors for added safety.
Painting Information
Caravaggio’s early career was already touched by the shadow of his tumultuous life, and one senses that tension surging from the depths of this canvas. The story of the doomed youth, derived from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, is here shown in bare, unvarnished drama - Narcissus leaning toward his reflection as if courting both fascination and dread. Though mythological subjects are rare in the artist’s oeuvre, this painting foreshadows the hallmark style that would soon electrify Italian Baroque art. A central, theatrical moment is staged in a dark expanse, with the figure in bright illumination against a nearly pitch-black void.
Look first at the color scheme, a restrained palette where pale whites and burnished earth tones flicker against deep shadows. Caravaggio orchestrates these hues so the viewer’s gaze is forced to linger on the youth’s luminous clothing and the eerie reflection. Light strikes the exposed skin, turning each plane of the boy’s arm and leg into a sculptural display. This stark tonal contrast was unprecedented for the period - one that established the “spotlight effect” so characteristic of Caravaggio’s emerging legacy.
In terms of composition, the loop formed by Narcissus and his mirrored image creates a visual vortex, focusing our attention on the illuminated knee at its center. That bent leg seems to anchor the entire scene, guiding the eye in a circular path that encompasses both the figure and his reflection. The image almost vibrates with psychological tension, the youth simultaneously advancing into the darkness and confronting his spectral double. It’s an elegantly simple structure, yet it resonates with a mythic sense of destiny and entrapment.
What makes the painting so potent is the directness of the artist’s technique. Oil paint is applied with confident brushstrokes - nowhere overly meticulous, but carefully observed. The folds of fabric on the sleeve and the faint ripples on the water reflect Caravaggio’s search for tangible realism, even in a legendary narrative. The emptiness of the background reinforces the solitude of the moment, amplifying both intimacy and foreboding. This early canvas captures the essential paradox of the artist’s career: a rebel spirit who fused raw, physical immediacy with a profoundly affecting grasp of the human psyche.
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Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
Original Size:268 x 197 cm
Oratory of San Lorenzo, Palermo, Italy
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
Original Size:106.5 x 91 cm
Private Collection