Before the expulsion, Caravaggio had escaped to Sicily and the company of his old friend Mario Minniti, who is now married and living in Syracuse.

Together they set off on what amounted to a triumphal tour from Syracuse to Messina and on to the island capital, Palermo.

In each city Caravaggio continues to win prestigious and well-paid commissions.

Among other works from this period are a Burial of St. Lucy, a The Raising of Lazarus, and an Adoration of the Shepherds.

His style has continued to evolve, showing now friezes of figures isolated against vast empty backgrounds.

Contemporary reports depict a man whose behavior is becoming increasingly bizarre, sleeping fully armed and in his clothes, ripping up a painting at a slight word of criticism, mocking the local painters.