The Cardsharps 'Card Sharks' (1594) by Caravaggio - Poker

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The Cardsharps (ca. 1594) by Caravaggio (Poker History)
Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi) Italian (1571–1610) Oil on canvas 37 1/16 x 51 9/16 in. (94.2 x 130.9 cm)
Currently On View at the Kimbell Art Museum 3333 Camp Bowie Boulevard Fort Worth, Texas 76107-2792

A card sharp (also known as a cardsharp, card shark or cardshark) is a person who uses skill and/or deception to win at poker or other card games. "Sharp" and "shark" spellings have varied over time and by region.

Caravaggio was a pivotal figure in the history of Western art. In his short lifetime, he created a theatrical style that was as shocking to some as it was new and inspiring others. Apprenticed in Milan, Caravaggio went to Rome in the early 1590s where his early masterpiece, The Cardsharps, came to the attention of the influential Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte, who not only bought the painting but also offered the painter rooms in his palace.