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Portrait of an Old Man

ca. 1595–1600
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 619
With its intimate scale, direct address and similarity to images that represent El Greco, this painting has often been identified as a self-portrait—a strong possibility, but impossible to confirm. El Greco’s portraiture is exceptional for its time because of its penetrating naturalism and psychological insight, often conveyed through the weary features such as these that have been so lightly brushed that the dark grey ground layer shows through.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Portrait of an Old Man
  • Artist: El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) (Greek, Iráklion (Candia) 1541–1614 Toledo)
  • Date: ca. 1595–1600
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 20 3/4 x 18 3/8 in. (52.7 x 46.7 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1924
  • Object Number: 24.197.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

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Christ Carrying the Cross
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) (Greek, Iráklion (Candia) 1541–1614 Toledo)
ca. 1577–87
Saint Jerome as Scholar
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) (Greek, Iráklion (Candia) 1541–1614 Toledo)
ca. 1610
Cardinal Fernando Niño de Guevara (1541–1609)
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) (Greek, Iráklion (Candia) 1541–1614 Toledo)
ca. 1600
View of Toledo
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) (Greek, Iráklion (Candia) 1541–1614 Toledo)
ca. 1599–1600
Saint Andrew
Workshop of El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) (Greek, Iráklion (Candia) 1541–1614 Toledo)
ca. 1610

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