The Greek philospher, Heraclitus of Ephesus (540-470 B.C.), wears a black tunic and leans on a stone, weeping. He embodies the idea of a tragic sense of life, thinking about the future form a lonely and pessimistic point of view.

This work was made for the Torre de la Parada, a small royal palace near Madrid, and contrasts with the thinking of Democritus (P1682), with which it was paired.