A lute player 1596

Caravaggio painted this canvas of a lute player sometime around 1600. He uses oil paint, of course, a material that allows a slow, considered build-up of illusory depth. But the real interest here is in the lute itself. Stringed instruments were highly complex constructions, involving meticulous carving, shaping, and the application of varnish – a skilled process passed down through generations. Notice how Caravaggio renders the lute’s smooth, rounded body, its delicate soundhole, and the complex joinery of its neck. This wasn’t just a question of skillful painting. The value of the instrument was directly related to the labour involved in its making. The ruffled shirt, too, is a textile technology, which would have required hours of patient stitching. All of this is not just background detail, but central to the image’s meaning. It reminds us that skill and craft were highly valued commodities in Caravaggio's time, just as they are today.