Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 73 works by Cecco del Caravaggio in our catalogue
In short
Of all the originals Cecco del Caravaggio left, the most famous is Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (1608), in the collection of the St John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta. Close behind it come The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew (1600) and Madonna of Loreto (1604). Our catalog holds 73 works by Cecco del Caravaggio; the gallery has kept the 53 the world admires most, each shown with its date, its museum and its story.
The scene centers on the violent instant of martyrdom. A man lies trussed like a lamb, his throat cut as the executioner prepares to finish the task. Near the center, a knife catches the light. To the left, a bowl waits in the shadows. The air is heavy with the presence of those gathered to witness the end. Soldiers of King Herod move through the gloom, their actions driving the…
In the heart of the composition lies a moment of profound, visceral tension, where the earthly and the divine collide in a scene of violent transition. The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew captures the precise, harrowing instant of the saint's passing, presenting a tableau that is as much about the spiritual struggle as it is about physical upheaval. The central figure of Saint Matthew is depicted lying upon the ground, his…
The air in the doorway feels heavy, thick with the dust of a long road. We find ourselves standing before a weathered, crumbling brick wall that marks a threshold between the mundane and the divine. A woman stands within this frame, her feet bare and touching the earth, holding a naked infant who reaches out to bless the weary. This is not a scene of celestial splendor, but one of…
is an oil on canvas work by the Italian artist Cecco del Caravaggio. Created in 1599, the piece measures 99 x 131 cm. It belongs to the Baroque period, reflecting the naturalism and dramatic lighting characteristic of the era.
In the quiet, heavy atmosphere of a Roman night, a single source of light pierces through the gloom to reveal a moment of profound intellectual and spiritual labor. Saint Jerome Writing, painted in 1605 by the enigmatic Cecco del Caravaggio, is not merely a portrait of a scholar; it is an immersive experience in Tenebrism. As the eye wanders across the canvas, one is immediately struck by the dramatic interplay…
In the heart of the late sixteenth century, a profound shift in the visual language of Europe was taking place, and few works capture this transition with such visceral intensity as Cecco del Caravaggio’s David and Goliath. This painting is not merely a depiction of a biblical triumph; it is a theatrical performance frozen in oil. The scene captures the breathless moment following the fall of the Philistine giant, where…
David with the Head of Goliath is an oil on canvas work by Cecco del Caravaggio, dated 1610. The painting is held at the Galleria Borghese in Rome. It belongs to the Baroque period, specifically the Early Modern era, and reflects the stylistic influence of the Caravaggisti movement.
In this large-scale work from 1608, we find ourselves drawn into the quiet, heavy atmosphere of a church in Syracuse. Cecco del Caravaggio has composed a scene of profound communal grief, centered upon the deceased Saint Lucy. The composition is populated by at least thirteen figures, a gathering of souls caught in the immediate aftermath of loss. Some are kneeling in prayer, their bodies bowed by the gravity of the…
In the quiet, hallowed atmosphere of the early seventeenth century, a profound spiritual intimacy emerges from the canvas of Cecco del Caravaggio. His Madonna of the Rosary is not merely a religious depiction but a visceral experience of devotion, where the boundaries between the earthly and the divine seem to dissolve. At the heart of this monumental composition sits the Virgin Mary, her presence both commanding and tender as she…
In this large-scale oil on canvas from 1609, we find ourselves witnessing a moment of profound spiritual upheaval. The scene captures the precise instant Jesus calls Lazarus from the grave, a miracle that pulls the figures from the shadows of death into the light of existence. The composition is intensely dynamic, centered on the figure of Jesus, whose presence acts as the catalyst for the movement surrounding him. A crowd…
Conversion of Saint Paul1600
12
Mary Magdalen in Ecstasy1606
13
Denial of Saint Peter1610 · Metropolitan Museum of Art
14
Salome with the Head of John the Baptist1609 · Royal Palace of Madrid
15
David with the Head of Goliath1610 · Galleria Borghese
16
The Death of the Virgin1603 · The Louvre
17
Narcissus1599 · Galleria Nazional d Art Antica
18
Salome with the Head of John the Baptist1607 · National Gallery
19
Madonna and Child with St. Anne1606 · Galleria Borghese
20
The Seven Works of Mercy1607 · Pio Monte della Misericordia
21
Calling of Saint Matthew1600 · San Luigi dei Francesi
22
Supper at Emmaus1606 · Pinacoteca di Brera
23
Supper at Emmaus1602 · National Gallery
24
Ecce Homo1605 · Palazzo Rosso
25
John the Baptist1604
26
Carrying of the Cross1610 · Slovak National Gallery
27
Sleeping Cupid1608 · Palazzo Pitti
28
The Flute Player1615 · Ashmolean Museum
29
The Penitent MagdalenNationalmuseum
30
Woman with a Dove1615 · Museo del Prado
31
Still Life with Flowers and Fruit1601 · Galleria Borghese
32
Saint Francis in Meditation1606 · Museo Civico Ala Ponzone
33
Entombment of Christ1603
34
Christ on the Mount of Olives1605
35
Taking of Christ1602
36
Saint Matthew and the Angel1602
37
Saint Francis in Prayer1610 · Museum and Crypt of Capuchins
38
Martyrdom of Saint Ursula1610 · Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano
39
Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence1609 · Oratory of San Lorenzo
40
Woman with a Dove1610 · Museo del Prado
41
Portrait of Fra Antionio Martelli1608 · Palazzo Pitti
42
Guardian Angel with Sts Ursula and ThomasMuseo del Prado
43
Cleansing of the temple
44
Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian.National Museum in Warsaw
45
Christ expulses the money changers out of the templeGemäldegalerie
46
Saint Jerome in Meditation1606 · Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey
47
John the Baptist1602 · Capitoline Museums
48
John the Baptist1610 · Galleria Borghese
49
The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew1606 · Royal Collection
50
Still Life with Fruit1603 · Denver Art Museum
51
Judith Beheading Holofernes1610 · Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano
52
John the Baptist (Reclining Baptist)1610
53
The resurrectionArt Institute of Chicago
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Cecco del Caravaggio | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Galleria Borghese |
Rome | 5 | Saint Jerome Writing, David with the Head of Goliath, Madonna and Child with St. Anne |
 Museo del Prado |
Madrid | 4 | David and Goliath, Woman with a Dove, Woman with a Dove |
 San Luigi dei Francesi |
Rome | 2 | The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew, Calling of Saint Matthew |
 The Louvre |
Paris | 2 | The Fortune Teller, The Death of the Virgin |
 Kunsthistorisches Museum |
Vienna | 2 | David with the Head of Goliath, Madonna of the Rosary (Madonna del Rosario) |
 National Gallery |
London | 2 | Salome with the Head of John the Baptist, Supper at Emmaus |
 Palazzo Pitti |
Florence | 2 | Sleeping Cupid, Portrait of Fra Antionio Martelli |
 Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano |
Naples | 2 | Martyrdom of Saint Ursula, Judith Beheading Holofernes |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
is an oil on canvas work by the Italian artist Cecco del Caravaggio. Created in 1599, the piece measures 99 x 131 cm. It belongs to the Baroque period, reflecting the naturalism and dramatic lighting characteristic of the era.
The scene centers on the violent instant of martyrdom. A man lies trussed like a lamb, his throat cut as the executioner prepares to finish the task. Near the center, a knife catches the light. To the left, a bowl waits in the shadows. The air is heavy with the presence of those gathered to witness the end. Soldiers of King Herod move through the gloom, their actions driving the…
David with the Head of Goliath is an oil on canvas work by Cecco del Caravaggio, dated 1610. The painting is held at the Galleria Borghese in Rome. It belongs to the Baroque period, specifically the Early Modern era, and reflects the stylistic influence of the Caravaggisti movement.
Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (1608), St John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta. The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew (1600) and Madonna of Loreto (1604) come next.
19 years old: Beheading of Saint John the Baptist dates from 1608, and Cecco del Caravaggio was born in 1589.
Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew, Madonna of Loreto, The Fortune Teller, Saint Jerome Writing, David and Goliath, David with the Head of Goliath, Burial of Saint Lucy, Madonna of the Rosary (Madonna del Rosario) and Resurrection of Lazarus. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 73 works by Cecco del Caravaggio, dated from 1599 to 1615.
Mostly in Galleria Borghese (Rome), Museo del Prado (Madrid) and San Luigi dei Francesi (Rome). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1600s: 32 of the 53 works on this page were made then, Beheading of Saint John the Baptist among them.
On this page, the earliest is The Fortune Teller (1599) and the latest The Flute Player (1615).
Man (18), Woman (15) and People (12), across the 53 works on this page.
Oil On Canvas, for 36 of the 53 works on this page.
Baroque and Caravaggism, judging by the originals on this page.
Saint Jerome Writing, David with the Head of Goliath and Madonna and Child with St. Anne: the Galleria Borghese, Rome holds 5 of the works on this page.
In the dimly lit corridors of Baroque art history, few figures possess a mystique as profound as Francesco Buoneri, known to posterity by the intimate diminutive Cecco del Caravaggio. To study his life is to navigate a landscape of shadows and half-truths, where the boundaries between historical fact and artistic legend blur. Emerging in the early seventeenth century, Cecco was far more than a mere shadow cast by the greatness of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio; he was a vital pulse in the movement known as the Caravaggisti. While his name suggests a close-knit, perhaps even familial connection to the master, recent scholarship suggests a complex relationship where the student did not merely mimic the teacher but absorbed his revolutionary naturalism to forge a voice of startling psychological intensity.
The very essence of Cecco’s identity is woven into the fabric of Rome's turbulent artistic scene. The name Cecco, a diminutive of Francesco, hints at a level of familiarity that has led many historians to speculate he may have been the "boy Francesco" who assisted Caravaggio during the master's final, fugitive years in the city. This personal connection likely served as the crucible for his development, allowing him to witness firsthand the birth of tenebrism—that dramatic, high-contrast interplay of light and dark that would become his signature. His early training, potentially influenced by the Mannerist traditions of Pietro Testa, provided him with a foundation in classical composition, yet it was the raw, visceral reality of Caravaggio’s influence that ultimately pulled him toward a more profound, humanistic truth.
Cecco’s oeuvre is characterized by an uncompromising commitment to dramatic realism. He possessed a rare ability to use light not merely as a tool for visibility, but as a spiritual protagonist capable of illuminating the deepest recesses of the human soul. In his most celebrated works, such as the monumental The Resurrection, one observes an exaggeration of the bold contrasts pioneered by Caravaggio. Here, the light does not simply fall upon the figures; it erupts through the darkness, carving out forms with a sculptural weight that commands the viewer's attention and evokes a sense of divine intervention amidst earthly struggle.
Beyond the grand religious narratives, Cecco’s talent extended to capturing the quiet, often unsettling moments of human existence. His paintings frequently explore themes of:
Though his active period was relatively brief, spanning from roughly 1610 to the mid-1620s, Cecco del Caravaggio left an indelible mark on the trajectory of Baroque painting. He stood at a pivotal moment in art history, acting as a bridge between the dying gasps of Mannerism and the full-throated emotionalism of the seventeenth century. While some early historians relegated him to the status of a mere follower, modern eyes recognize a painter who understood that true realism requires more than just accurate anatomy; it requires the courage to embrace the darkness.
His historical significance lies in his role as a custodian of the Caravaggisti spirit. By refining the techniques of chiaroscuro and infusing them with a unique, often melancholic tenderness, he helped ensure that the revolutionary naturalism of Caravaggio would endure through subsequent generations. Today, as we look upon his surviving masterpieces in collections like the Art Institute of Chicago or the Galleria Borghese, we do not see a mere imitator, but an artist who found profound meaning in the interplay of light and void, proving that even in the deepest shadows, a brilliant truth can be found.
