Portrait of an Old Man
El Greco’s candid portraits have been consistently admired for their naturalism and psychological insight, even when his other works fell out of favor. Having appeared regularly in Spanish, French, and German publications on the artist in the first years of the twentieth century, this painting entered the collection at The Met in 1924. With its direct address, informality, and similarity to images believed to represent El Greco himself, the work has often been identified as a self-portrait, though this is impossible to affirm definitively.
Artwork Details
- 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
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