Boy with a basket of fruit depicts a young boy, identified as Caravaggio's friend and fellow painter Mario Minniti, holding a basket brimming with rendered still life of fruits. Caravaggio's rejection of idealisation in favour of capturing the raw figure of his subjects is evident in the meticulously detailed portrayal of the fruits, including peaches, grapes (black, red, and white), pomegranates, figs, medlars, apples, and pears, all depicted with astonishing realism and attention to detail. The painting's composition, with the model's casual yet sensual pose and the dramatic interplay of light and shadow, showcases Caravaggio's interest in chiaroscuro. This early work predates Caravaggio's more complex paintings featuring Minniti, such as "The Fortune Teller" and "The Cardsharps," which brought him to the attention of his first significant patron, Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte.