Democritus of Abdera (460-370 B.C.) is the pictorial pendant of Heraclitus (P1680) as well as his philosophical counterpoint. Wearing bright colors, he laughs sarcastically while contemplating a globe of the Earth, alluding to his concept of the comic meaning of life. During the Modern Age, this was interpreted on the basis of Christian precepts as a message alluding to the vanity of earthly life.

This work was made for the Torre de la Parada, a small royal palace near Madrid, where it hung between windows or doors. It was often though to be a portrait of a geographer.