Caravaggio (1571-1610) was famed in his own time for his sensitive, clear-eyed observational skills, compelling sense of drama and powerful deployment of chiaroscuro. In the first years of the 17th century, reports of the painter's originality were already spreading widely, and observers exhorted young artists to follow his example--and follow it they did. Among the artists who incorporated elements of Caravaggio's style in their own work, a large number came from the Low Countries, Germany and France. Including works by Caravaggio and his most important Dutch, Flemish and French followers, Caravaggio and the Painters of the North highlights both Caravaggio's extraordinary versatility and the rich diversity of the responses to his work emerging in Northern Europe between 1600 and 1630, as well as the stimulating role of patrons and collectors.