In The Musicians (Caravaggio), how is the Description & Interpretations discussed?
The picture displays four boys in classical costume (Greek or Roman robes): three figures playing various musical instruments or singing and the fourth dressed as Cupid and reaching towards some grapes. The picture is an allegory relating music to the sustenance of love in the same way that food is the sustenance of life. This was one of Caravaggio's more challenging compositions and the artist placed the four figures closely together within the small space of the canvas—the placement of the figures in the composition display a relaxed front and back formation of the male subjects. The painting was in poor condition, and the music in the manuscript has been badly damaged by past restorations, although a tenor and an alto part can be made out. Andrew Graham-Dixon notes that despite this damage, the work's originality remains undimmed.
Cupid Andrew Graham-Dixon Roman allegory Greek Caravaggio