Aristóteles

Ribera painted this in 1637 in Naples, then ruled by Spain, as one of a set of six ancient philosophers ordered the year before by the Prince of Liechtenstein. There is nothing marble or heroic about the man. Aristotle appears as a ragged beggar with dirty nails, a worn face and a scholar's cap, bent over his books and instruments in the dark. It was a common idea in the 1600s that real wisdom went with poverty rather than fine robes, and Ribera, who liked painting old skin and hard use, took it further than most. For three centuries the picture stayed with the Liechtenstein family who had commissioned it, and only which philosopher it shows was ever really in doubt. The doctor's gown and cap are what settled the name.