Fortune-Teller with Soldiers
Artist: Valentin de Boulogne (French (active Rome), 1591-1632)
Date: about 1620
Dimensions:
painting: 58 7/8 x 93 7/8 in. (149.5 x 238.4 cm)
framed: 72 3/8 x 107 3/4 x 5 1/2 in. (183.8 x 273.7 x 14 cm)
Medium: oil on canvas
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1981.53
Label Text:A dark tavern filled with unsavory characters provides the setting for this scene of deceit and fortune. A group of drinkers seems caught up in the dramatic tension as a fortuneteller reads the palm of a naïve young soldier, who waits fearfully to hear his fate. On the left, a round robin of thievery takes place: the woman has just taken a coin from the soldier in exchange for her dubious services, while a man in a red hat implores the viewer to keep silent as he steals a rooster from her. He does not notice that a child is picking his pocket in turn.
Subjects of this kind, often featuring soldiers and carousers, were introduced by Italian painter Caravaggio (1571-1610) and freely adapted by other artists in the early 1600s, using his dramatic lighting and tabletop groupings. Valentin, who left his native France to join the international community of artists in Rome, was among the finest artists to work in this manner. His pictures are remarkable for their mysterious mood, psychological depth, and complex interplay among the figures.
Subjects of this kind, often featuring soldiers and carousers, were introduced by Italian painter Caravaggio (1571-1610) and freely adapted by other artists in the early 1600s, using his dramatic lighting and tabletop groupings. Valentin, who left his native France to join the international community of artists in Rome, was among the finest artists to work in this manner. His pictures are remarkable for their mysterious mood, psychological depth, and complex interplay among the figures.
On view
In Collection(s)