Jusepe de Ribera

(Xàtiva, 1591 - Napoli, 1652)

Attributed to

Oil on canvas

cm. 96,5x75,5. Framed

This remarkable painting belongs to the complex Roman period of the young Ribera and his Five Senses series, commissioned around 1615 by Pietro Cussida, the Spanish king Philip III’s diplomatic representative to the Holy See. Long considered the highest-quality contemporary copy of the lost original, it was definitively identified by Gianni Papi with the work now in the Koelliker collection. Our painting stands out among known versions for its exceptional quality and refined execution, particularly in the delicate depiction of the lute and hands, and in the caricatured, grottesque expression of the figure, enhanced by the virtuoso rendering of the teeth and the contrasting white ruff. Cleaning is expected to further reveal its masterful details.