Aristotle is a 1637 oil painting by Spanish artist Jusepe de Ribera, located in the Indianapolis Museum of Art, which is in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is part of a series of six portraits of ancient philosophers commissioned by the Prince of Liechtenstein in 1636.
Contents
Description
Aristotle is here portrayed as a beggar-philosopher, a popular conceit in the seventeenth century. His asceticism is well in keeping with Spanish Catholicism, and is a hallmark of the saints Ribera also painted. He is surrounded by light reminiscent of Caravaggio, with whom Ribera is often associated. That, and his direct, naturalistic style (also courtesy of Caravaggio) make this a powerful image of a philosopher and his profound contemplations. Aristotle is painted in a very tactile manner, with deep creases in his worn face and hands. Ribera proudly signed the painting across the papers in Aristotle's hand, appending "español" to his name to assert his nationality.
Historical information
When Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein originally commissioned this series in May 1636, the request was for a full dozen paintings. However, only the first six were ever delivered. These were listed in a 1767 inventory as Aristotle, Plato, Crates, Anaxagoras, Protagoras, and Diogenes. The set was sold and scattered in 1957, although briefly reunited by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1992 for a Ribera exhibition.