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Aristotle with a Bust of Homer

Rembrandt, 1653

Rembrandt's Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, dated 1653, is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It shows a philosopher in quiet thought, one hand resting on a sculpted head of the poet Homer. In front of the canvas, the pleasure lies in following Rembrandt's light as it moves between face, hand, chain and marble.

Where to see it

Aristotle with a Bust of Homer is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and its listed location is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Works in large collections can be moved, rehung, lent or temporarily taken off view, so check the museum's official website for the painting's current display status before you plan your visit.

What to look for in person

The hand on the bust

Start with the centre of the composition: Aristotle's right hand resting lightly on the head of a marble bust of Homer. His fingers touch the sculpture, but his eyes do not look at it. His gaze drifts away, heavy-lidded and inward. That gap between touch and attention is what gives the picture its mood of reflection. Notice how Rembrandt lets light catch the top of the bust and the back of the hand, so the two surfaces, living skin and cool stone, sit side by side for comparison.

The gold chain and medallion

Look next at the heavy gold chain slung across Aristotle's body from shoulder to hip. His left hand holds it, and from it hangs a medallion bearing a small profile head, commonly identified as Alexander the Great, Aristotle's pupil. If that reading is accepted, the painting links three figures: a poet of the past, a philosopher in the present moment, and a ruler. Step closer to see how the chain is built from thick, raised dabs of paint that catch real light from the room.

Light, costume and shadow

Step back to take in the whole canvas, which at 143.5 by 136.5 centimetres is almost square. Light falls from the upper left onto the broad-brimmed black hat, the face, and especially the wide white sleeves, which Rembrandt paints with loose, quick strokes that turn to texture close up. Much of the background dissolves into warm darkness, with books and a curtain only partly visible. Let your eyes adjust: details emerge gradually from the shadows, rewarding a slow, patient look.

About the painting

Rembrandt painted Aristotle with a Bust of Homer in 1653, during his mature years in Amsterdam, when his handling of paint had become broad and richly textured. The work is generally understood to have been painted for a collector in Sicily, Antonio Ruffo, who later acquired further works from the artist. This makes it one of the Dutch painter's well-documented commissions from outside the Netherlands. The subject is unusual. Rather than a portrait from life or a narrative scene, Rembrandt presents a historical thinker in contemplation, dressed in an imaginative costume that mixes contemporary and timeless elements. The philosopher stands beside a table, his hand on the head of Homer, the ancient poet whose works Aristotle studied and wrote about. The gold chain he holds is often read as a sign of worldly honour, which can be contrasted with the intellectual and poetic value represented by the bust. Many viewers and writers have read the picture as a meditation on fame, learning and the relationship between material reward and lasting achievement, though the painting itself states nothing outright. Its meaning is carried by gesture, gaze and light rather than by symbols that demand decoding. For a visitor, the work is a good place to see Rembrandt's late technique at work: thin, dark passages in the background give way to thick, sculpted paint in the sleeves and chain. Viewing it first from a distance and then from closer up shows how the surface shifts from a coherent image to visible brushwork.

Key facts

More by Rembrandt

• Rembrandt and Saskia in the parable of the Prodigal Son — Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
• Belshazzar's Feast — National Gallery
• Syndics of the Drapers' Guild — Rijksmuseum
• The Abduction of Europa — J. Paul Getty Museum
• Juno
• The Night Watch — Rijksmuseum
• The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis — Rijksmuseum
• The Storm on the Sea of Galilee
• Danaë
• The Stoning of Saint Stephen
• The Mill — National Gallery of Art
• Bathsheba at Her Bath — Louvre Museum

Sources

• Wikidata Q2404992
• www.metmuseum.org
• engage.metmuseum.org