Why it matters
Aristotle, wearing a heavy gold chain, rests his hand on a bust of Homer, lost in thought. Rembrandt painted it in 1653 for a Sicilian nobleman who had not asked for any particular subject, and its mysterious mood has led to many interpretations.
Did you know?
- It was commissioned by Don Antonio Ruffo of Sicily.
- In 1961 the Met bought it for $2.3 million, then the highest price ever paid for a painting.
- Ruffo later commissioned a companion piece from Guercino.
Based on the Wikipedia article Aristotle with a Bust of Homer (CC BY-SA 4.0).
