A light-skinned, clean-shaven man sitting cross-legged on the floor nearly fills this almost square painting. His body is angled to our right, and he bends forward, using a knife to cut a block of dried tobacco leaves on a wood board. A straight-edged bowl is nearby to collect the flakes. The man’s head is unevenly shaved so is short on the side and bushier down the middle of his head to the back. He has a round nose, and his pink lips are parted. He wears a golden-yellow vest over a white shirt, the puffy sleeves roll up to expose the upper arms. A scarlet-red overskirt drapes across his hips over roomy slate-gray, knee-length pants. He is barefoot, and we see the underside of the toes closer to us. A scale and two roll-sized loaves of bread on a white cloth sit on the ground in front of him along the bottom edge of this canvas. Light falls across the scene from our left so the far side of his face is in shadow, as is the space behind the man. Only the top of the head of a second man, also bald, and a hand holding a long, glowing tobacco pipe are clearly visible in the shadows. The man lies with his head toward us, and his body disappears behind the other person.

Mattia Preti, A Man Cutting Tobacco, 1660s, oil on canvas, Patrons' Permanent Fund, Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund, and New Century Fund, 2023.19.1

Gallery Talk: Mattia Preti and the Influence of Caravaggio

Collection Perspectives

Focus: The Collection

Wednesday, May 15, 2024
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
West Building, Main Floor - Rotunda

Talks
Guided Tours
In-person

Join senior lecturer David Gariff for an in-depth look at two works by the Baroque painter Mattia Preti—The Martyrdom of Saint Gennaro and the newly acquired A Man Cutting Tobacco. Learn about the unique artistic and cross-cultural contexts of the artist’s work in Naples and Malta and the influence of Caravaggio on his dramatic compositions.