Boy bitten by a Lizard

The young man snatches back his hand, his face caught between surprise and pain. A lizard clings to his finger. The sudden action interrupts the fruit and flowers laid out in front of him. Caravaggio, an Italian painter working in Rome, made this picture around 1594–95, early in his career. He used a live model to give the reaction an immediate physical force. The curling hair, bare shoulder and lifted fingers all take part in the movement. Now look at the curved glass vase. Its surface reflects a room, while the flowers above it and fruit beside it offer a quieter demonstration of observation. Caravaggio places this still life close enough to the startled figure that both seem to belong to the same brief encounter. The image has been read as a warning about the pain that can accompany pleasure or love. Its exact meaning is uncertain. The small biting animal provides a clear event, even when the moral suggested by that event remains open.