Origins Aristotle Contemplating a Bust of Homer was painted in 1653, as a commission from a
Sicilian nobleman named Don Antonio Ruffo, who did not request any particular subject. Don Antonio planned to commission companion pieces for Rembrandt's painting from the
Italian painter
Guercino.
Subsequent owners In 1815, it was sent to
Sir Abraham Hume and he lent it to an exhibition at the
British Institution in London. in
New York City, United States. At the time this was the
highest amount ever paid for any picture at public or private sale. This inspired the American artist
Otis Kaye to critique the sale (and by extension the power of money in art) with his own painting
Heart of the Matter, which is held at the
Art Institute of Chicago. During the renovation of the Rembrandt wing of the Metropolitan Museum, the painting was re-titled in November 2013 as
Aristotle with a Bust of Homer.
Misconceptions There has been confusion over the identity of the man in the painting because Don Antonio Ruffo did not specifically request a subject for his commission. It has been thought to be
Albertus Magnus,
Tasso,
Ariosto,
Virgil and seventeenth-century Dutch poet
Pieter Cornelisz Hooft. In 1969,
Julius Held argued that it was Aristotle in the painting by analyzing his facial features, his clothes and the objects he holds. According to Held, Aristotle is known for his long hair and beard, fancy jewelry and extravagant dresses, which can be seen in other paintings that featured him between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in
Europe. Held also connects Aristotle with the bust of Homer and Alexander's chain. Aristotle is known to be a commentator of Homer and Alexander the Great, which led Held to believe that it must be Aristotle in the painting. ==Interpretation==