The Poet

c. 1620/1621

Jusepe de Ribera

Associated Names
Jusepe de Ribera

Artist, Spanish, 1591 - 1652

The image shows a figure seated on a rocky surface in a contemplative pose with their elbow resting on a raised surface, possibly a stone or ledge, and their hand supporting their chin. The figure has a head adorned with a laurel wreath, and their facial features are accentuated by deep shadows, giving the impression of a thoughtful expression. The person is wearing flowing, draped clothing that covers their entire body and cascades to the ground. In the background, there is a tree with a thick trunk and sparse leaves, alongside uneven rocky terrain.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and engraving on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Andrew W. Mellon Fund

  • Dimensions

    plate: 16 x 12.3 cm (6 5/16 x 4 13/16 in.)
    sheet: 16.8 x 13.3 cm (6 5/8 x 5 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1977.80.12

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Brown 1973, no. 3, State only

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Leonard Baskin (Lugt 4474)

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1983

  • Graphic Survey Show, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., May 1983.

1989

  • Italian Etchers of the Renaissance & Baroque, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Cleveland Museum of Art; and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1989, no. 147, repro.

Bibliography

1802

  • Bartsch, Adam. Le peintre graveur. 21 vols. Vienna, 1802-1821: vol.20, p.83, no.10.

1973

  • Brown, Jonathan. Jusepe de Ribera: Prints and Drawings. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1973.

1989

  • Reed, Sue Welsh and Richard Wallace. Italian Etchers of the Renaissance & Baroque. Musuem of Fine Arts, Boston, 1989: no.147.

Inscriptions

recto: none; verso: in black ink, at bottom center: L & L Baskin / 1972 [Lugt 4474]; in graphite, at bottom right: K669

Markings

none

Watermarks

fleur-de-lis with letter Y on top

Wikidata ID

Q65573253

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