Narcissus (Caravaggio)

Narcissus
Italian: Narciso
Narcissus at the Source
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ArtistCaravaggio
Dimentions: 110x92cm
Year1597–1599
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions110 cm × 92 cm (43 in × 36 in)
LocationGalleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica
Coordinates41°54′12.65″N 12°29′24.75″E / 41.9035139°N 12.4902083°E / 41.9035139; 12.4902083

Narcissus is a painting by the Italian Baroque master Caravaggio, painted circa 1597–1599. It is housed in the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in Rome.

The painting was originally attributed to Caravaggio by Roberto Longhi in 1916.[1] This is one of only two known Caravaggios on a theme from Classical mythology, although this is due more to the accidents of survival than the artist's oeuvre. Narcissus, according to the poet Ovid in his Metamorphoses, is a handsome youth who falls in love with his own reflection. Unable to tear himself away, he dies of his passion, and even as he crosses the Styx continues to gaze at his reflection (Metamorphoses 3:339–510).[2]

  1. ^ Metropolitan Museum of Art (1985). The Age of Caravaggio. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 265. ISBN 9780870993800.
  2. ^ Posèq, Avigdor (1991). "The Allegorical Content of Caravaggio's "Narcissus"". Notes in the History of Art. 10 (3): 21–31. doi:10.1086/sou.10.3.23203015. JSTOR 23203015. S2CID 192981652.