Study after Caravaggio's 'The Cardsharps' with color notes 1600 - 1700

This is an anonymous study in pen and brown ink, after Caravaggio’s painting ‘The Cardsharps’. The original was produced in Rome around 1594, and it speaks volumes about the social realities of its time. Caravaggio was known for his interest in the lives of ordinary people, and this image of card players, one of whom is cheating, provides a glimpse into the darker side of Roman society. In the sixteenth century, gambling was a popular pastime, but it was also associated with crime and corruption, vices that moral reformers such as the Catholic church constantly railed against. It's interesting to consider the ways in which Caravaggio’s image reflects these social concerns. Was he simply documenting the world around him, or was he making a statement about the moral decay of Roman society? To learn more, consider the ways in which historians use court records, police reports, and other archival materials to better understand the social and cultural context in which it was made.