Commissioned by the Sicilian noble Antonio Ruffo, this painting was to be accompanied by a pendant commissioned from Guercino, as well as two other paintings, now lost, by the original artist, whose focus would be on the two other individuals besides the title figure represented in this work.
The canonical article about this painting was written by Julius Held, who argued that the title of this painting was misleading and that the melancholy shown by the title character represented "an awareness of the fickleness of princely favor." Commissioned by the Sicilian noble Antonio Ruffo, this painting was to be accompanied by a pendant commissioned from Guercino, as well as two other paintings, now lost, by the original artist, whose focus would be on the two other individuals besides the title figure represented in this work. This work's title figure wears a wide-brimmed black hat and rests his left hand on a gold chain, which according to Held represented worldly wealth and honor, one of the "two sets of values," depicted in this work. The other set of values, representing what Held called "unequaled diction and thought," are represented by the object on which the title figure rests his right hand, though he does not appear to be looking directly at it. For 10 points, identify this Rembrandt painting depicting the teacher of Alexander the Great with a sculpted representation of a blind Greek poet.
The canonical article about this painting was written by Julius Held, who argued that the title of this painting was misleading and that the melancholy shown by the title character represented "an awareness of the fickleness of princely favor."
Aristotle Contemplating the Bust of Homer [accept anything mentioning "Aristotle" and "Homer" as the painting is often known by multiple titles]