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Portrait of an Old Man

ca. 1595–1600
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 619
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

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

More Artwork
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Christ Carrying the Cross, El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) Greek, Oil on canvas
Christ Carrying the Cross
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos)
ca. 1577–87
Saint Jerome as Scholar, El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) Greek, Oil on canvas
Saint Jerome as Scholar
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos)
ca. 1610
Saint Andrew, El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) Greek, Oil on canvas
Saint Andrew
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos)
ca. 1610
Christ Healing the Blind, El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) Greek, Oil on canvas
Christ Healing the Blind
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos)
ca. 1570
The Adoration of the Shepherds, El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) Greek, Oil on canvas
The Adoration of the Shepherds
El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos)
ca. 1605–10

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