On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P02506
- Author
- Ribera, José de (Spanish)
- Title
- An Old Usurer
- Chronology
- 1638
- Technique
- Support
- Measures
- 76 cm x 62 cm
- School
- Theme
- Shown
- Yes
- Entrance
- LEGADO
- Procedence
- Legacy of Xavier Laffitte y Charlesteguy, 1930
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.
Location on the map
