In this depiction that some have interpreted as an allegory of avarice, a n old usurer, with wrinkled face, ragged clothes, an annoyed gaze and a distrustful expression, holds a set of scales, probably for weighing gold.

In the sixteen thirties, Ribera's style grew closer to that of the Venetians and Bolognese painters, yet this work affirms his continuing relation to Caravaggio's naturalism. This is especially clear in the rendering of the scales and of the old woman's figure. Unlike his youthful works, though, this one is characterized by rapid, intense brushstrokes.