What did Caravaggio say made a painter a man of worth?

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Caravaggio: The Conversion of St. Paul (second version) — Caravaggio *The Conversion of St. Paul* (second version), oil on canvas by Caravaggio, 1601; in Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome.

During a 1603 libel trial, Caravaggio provided his only known statement regarding the art of painting. In his testimony, he stated that a valent’huomo (a man of worth) is one who "knows how to paint well and imitate natural objects well."1