Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, an enfant terrible and genius of the later Renaissance, is the subject of this fascinating exhibit at the Borghese Gallery in Rome.
The intent of this mostra is to better understand the work of Caravaggio in still life (natura morta) with “The Hartford Master”, a supposed and mysterious young painter who was believed to have been related to the 16th Century Roman School.

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Still Life with Flowers and Basket of Fruit Caravaggio – 1601

The show was created to address a long standing controversy about some of the still life paintings in the Borghese Collection. Many attributions to some “Master of Hartford” are now posited to have been painted early in Caravaggio’s career. For the first time, forty of Caravaggio’s masterpieces are displayed with in depth essay-like approaches to the comparisons of work, style, type of paint and approach to the art.
Who was the Hartford Master and is it true that the works attributed to him are actually early works by Caravaggio? The show presents interesting and intellectually challenging approaches in answer to that question.
Works like Bacco Malato (Self Portrait as Bacchus) – below – are contrasted with works that Caravaggio painted in both the latter 1600’s with those of the early 1700’s.

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Bacco Malato, Caravaggio

 

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Hartford Master (attribution), Basket of Fruit

Also, a treasure of Caravaggio’s work, Basket of Fruit, on loan for the first time from the Ambrosiana in Milan, is showcased in the exhibit.

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Basket of Fruit, Caravaggio – On exhibit loan from the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milano

If you are in Florence or Naples/Amalfi Coast-or Rome-you can easily visit this exhibit in a day. Please see notes about ticketing below.
I have included a *.pdf file about the exhibit. Just click on the document cover below to download the English version and read at your leisure. Fascinating.

In a word? Go! This is a rare opportunity to view such a collection in one place – and you can hardly have a more gorgeous venue than the Galleria Borghese.

Exhibit concludes on February 19, 2017.
VILLA BORGHESE
Tuesday to Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
NOTE: You MUST purchase your tickets prior to arriving at the Villa Borghese. Only pre paid voucher holders will be issued tickets for your visit.
FLORENCE / NAPLES Day Trip:
Eurostar Italia trains run frequently  between these two cities and Rome. The trip between Florence and Rome is one hour and fifteen minutes, between Naples and Rome one hour and twenty minutes. You can take an early train, visit the Borghese – and other sites if you wish – and be back in either city in time for dinner. You can use the English version of the TrenItalia web site to check train time and pricing.
TrenItalia Web Site