The Astronomer
Artist
Jusepe de Ribera
(Spanish, 1591–1652)
Date1638
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionscanvas: 78.4 x 97.8 cm (30 7/8 x 38 1/2 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1925.116
Label TextBorn at Jativa, Spain, Ribera went to Italy in 1610 where he became familiar with the work of such great Italian artists as Correggio and Caravaggio. He settled in Naples in 1616 and never returned to Spain. His art is representative of the realistic early Baroque style in its use of simple peasants as models for serious subjects and in the dramatic lighting effects developed by Caravaggio.
Signed and dated 1638, this painting is one of a number of portraits of old men which appear in Ribera's work. Some are thought to represent saints or prophets, others philosophers or sages. In this case, the geometric diagrams on the slate may identify the subject as Ptolemy, an astronomer, geographer, and mathematician of the second century CE.ProvenanceMax Rothschild, London, England, by 1925; sold to the Worcester Art Museum, 1925.On View
On viewCollections
