Sick Bacchus (Self-Portrait as Bacchus), c.1592/93 Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610)

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We will add 1.6" (4 cm) additional blank canvas all over the painting for stretching.

High quality and detailing in every inch are time consuming. The reproduction of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio also needs time to dry in order to be completely ready for shipping, as this is crucial to not be damaged during transportation.
Based on the size, level of detail and complexity we need 8-9 weeks to complete the process.

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We not stretch and frame our oil paintings due to several reasons:
Painting reproduction is a high quality expensive product, which we cannot risk to damage by sending it being stretched.
Also, there are postal restrictions, regarding the size of the shipment.
Additionally, due to the dimensions of the stretched canvas, the shipment price may exceed the price of the product itself.

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Once the painting Sick Bacchus (Self-Portrait as Bacchus) is ready and dry, it will be shipped to your delivery address. The canvas will be rolled-up in a secure postal tube.

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The figure in this work appears seated, draped in a simple white cloth that slips just below the shoulder, revealing pallid skin and conveying a hint of physical frailty. The subject’s head is crowned not with the usual vine leaves of Bacchus, but with ivy, suggesting a subtle departure from the standard iconography. He clutches a small cluster of grapes, presenting them somewhat reluctantly as though aware of the irony in offering a fruit associated with celebration while himself looking indisposed. On the stone ledge before him lie grapes and a pair of apricots, offering a sober still-life element that contrasts with the figure’s more theatrical pose.

The color palette is largely subdued, dominated by dark browns and greens that create a somber mood. The measured use of cool highlights on his skin underscores the subject’s pallor, hinting at Caravaggio’s own illness at the time. Here, the restraint in chromatic intensity intensifies the sensation of unease; the composition quietly compels the viewer to notice every tint of yellowish and greenish hue in the subject’s flesh, which speaks of convalescence rather than robust vitality.

A noteworthy feature of Caravaggio’s early technique is evident in the sharp delineation of form and detail. The face and torso are modeled with direct, focused strokes, but one still observes a meticulous attention to light and shadow that soon became a hallmark of his mature style. This painting also shows a young painter determined to display his skill in capturing realistic textures. The fruit is rendered with a certain precision: the soft bloom of the grapes contrasts with the taut flesh of the apricots, although the overall finish remains somewhat less polished than in Caravaggio’s later work.

The composition is spare yet careful. The plain background acts as a foil for both the figure and the natural elements. The diagonal line of the subject’s body draws the eye from the masked expression on his face down toward the arrangement of fruit, uniting portrait and still-life in a single, cohesive plane. The overall effect is intimate but slightly unsettling, as though the viewer has intruded upon a private moment.

Painted when Caravaggio was likely recovering from illness in Rome, this canvas reflects the early baroque fascination with heightened realism and the direct portrayal of physical states. It marks a transitional moment in his trajectory: while it exhibits the fluency with light that would define his later style, it also discloses a personal vulnerability. In this complex portrayal, the mythic figure of Bacchus is transformed into something convincingly mortal and fragile.