Who painted this picture?
Dipinto: dee-PEEN-to. Past participle of dipingere — to paint.
When a painting has no visible label or you're confused about attribution. Also a great conversation starter with guides or fellow visitors.
Chi ha dipinto is 'who painted' — passato prossimo of dipingere. Questo quadro is 'this picture/painting'. Quadro is a framed painting — dipinto is the painted work itself.
È un dipinto di Caravaggio?
Is it a painting by Caravaggio?
Naming an artist you suspect — opens attribution discussion.
Questa è una copia o un originale?
Is this a copy or an original?
Copia — copy. Originale — original. An important question in Italy.
È attribuito a questo artista o è certo?
Is it attributed to this artist or is it certain?
Art attribution is often debated — especially for workshop pieces.
Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi, 1571-1610) revolutionised Western painting with his extreme chiaroscuro (tenebrism) and his use of common people as religious figures — shocking contemporaries. The Calling of Saint Matthew in San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome is one of the most visited paintings in the world.