The Musicians

In the pictureFour boys in loose white garments are gathered in a narrow room. The boy in the middle tunes a lute while looking out at us, and the boy beside him studies a music score. On the left a winged boy holds grapes, and behind, one boy turns his face to look toward us. A violin and sheet music lie at the bottom. The background is dark; only the figures' skin and white garments are bright.

BackgroundCaravaggio painted it around 1597 for Cardinal del Monte in Rome, his first patron. The cardinal was a patron of music, and this painting is an allegory celebrating music itself. The Cupid holding grapes signifies that love and wine accompany music. The boy looking back from behind is thought to be Caravaggio's own face. The painting's whereabouts were long unknown until it was rediscovered in England in the 1950s, and it was restored because of heavy damage.

Puzzle tipThe many white garment pieces are confusing, but the direction of the folds and the shadows differ from piece to piece. Anchor the four faces, the instruments, the sheet music and the grapes first, and fill in the clothing between them. Leave the dark background for last, filling the empty spaces. At 100 pieces or more, zoom in to see the grain of the drapery folds.