ticketsMember | Make a donation

The poet, standing crowned with laurel, leaning on a stone

1620–21
Not on view
Dressed in voluminous robes, crowned with laurel, and leaning on a stone with head in hand, The Poet is one of Ribera's most striking images made early in the artist's career. The iconography, a synthesis of the attributes of Melancholy and Poetry, has been explored in detail by scholars, who have found literary parallels ranging from verses by Walther von der Vogelweide (1170?–1230) to works by Petrarch and Lorenzo de' Medici. Another suggestion that the poet is Virgil seems plausible, especially since his tomb was traditionally thought to be in Naples. Generally identified with a columbarium, or dovecote mausoleum, above the 'Grotto' or tunnel of Posilipo, the purported burial place of the famous poet was a tourist attraction beginning at least in the sixteenth century. A well-known legend had it that on top of the tomb grew a bay tree that continued to blossom over the centuries while its roots forced their way through the stone, causing cracks to appear.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The poet, standing crowned with laurel, leaning on a stone
  • Artist: Jusepe de Ribera (called Lo Spagnoletto) (Spanish, Játiva 1591–1652 Naples)
  • Date: 1620–21
  • Medium: Etching
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 6 3/8 × 4 15/16 in. (16.2 × 12.6 cm)
    Plate: 6 1/4 × 4 13/16 in. (15.9 × 12.3 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1930
  • Object Number: 30.54.69
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
The Drunken Silenus holding a cup aloft into which a Satyr pours wine, Jusepe de Ribera (called Lo Spagnoletto) Spanish, Etching and engraving
The Drunken Silenus holding a cup aloft into which a Satyr pours wine
Jusepe de Ribera (called Lo Spagnoletto)
1628
The Penitence of Saint Peter, Jusepe de Ribera (called Lo Spagnoletto) Spanish, Etching and engraving
The Penitence of Saint Peter
Jusepe de Ribera (called Lo Spagnoletto)
1621
Saint Jerome Reading, Jusepe de Ribera (called Lo Spagnoletto) Spanish, Etching, engraving, and drypoint
Saint Jerome Reading
Jusepe de Ribera (called Lo Spagnoletto)
ca. 1624
Saint Jerome Hearing the Trumpet of the Last Judgment, Jusepe de Ribera (called Lo Spagnoletto) Spanish, Etching, engraving, and drypoint; first state of two (Brown)
Saint Jerome Hearing the Trumpet of the Last Judgment
Jusepe de Ribera (called Lo Spagnoletto)
1621
Battle Between a Centaur and a Triton with a Triton, Jusepe de Ribera (called Lo Spagnoletto) Spanish, Etching
Battle Between a Centaur and a Triton with a Triton
Jusepe de Ribera (called Lo Spagnoletto)
ca. 1620–1640

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.