Artwork Information

The Fortune Teller displays the exaggerated tenebrism (contrasting light and shadow) that was initiated by Caravaggio. Symbolic elements such as the mirror that the young man on the left is holding suggests vanity, while the garlic on his head may imply witchcraft. The gypsy fortune teller here acts as a procuress, telling the naive young woman she should accept the advances of her suitor. The latter, of course, has paid the fortune teller for the reading.