Boy bitten by a Lizard
- Artist: Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
- Date: about 1594-5
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is "Boy bitten by a Lizard" painted in the Italian north by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, around 1594-5. You're looking at a magnificent still life of fruit, with a rose and sprig of jasmine arranged in a glass vase. And if you look closely, you can see the reflection of a room in the curved surface of the vase.
The boy in the foreground is caught mid-motion, snatching his hand away from an unexpected pain. The precise meaning of this striking image isn't entirely clear, but it may be allegorical, referring to the pain that can derive from love. Some people see it as a warning against the dangers that lurk behind beautiful things.
Caravaggio was known for painting directly onto the canvas from live models, without preparing numerous studies beforehand. This innovative practice gave his works an immediacy and intensity that made them instantly popular. In fact, this painting is one of the earliest of our three Caravaggios, and it shows how he elevated the depiction of everyday subjects to new heights.
As you can see, the still life is placed prominently in the foreground, transforming the boy's impulsive movement into a narrative drama. This was highly compelling and innovative for its time, and it brought Caravaggio to the attention of influential patrons like Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte.
See it in person
Boy bitten by a Lizard hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
