Democritus
1628
- Medium
- canvas
- Dimensions
- 85.7 × 70 cm
- Status
- In Museum Collection
- Collect24 Art ID
- C24-106894
The Greek philosophers Democritus and Heraclitus were considered to be polar opposites. In contrast to the old, melancholy Heraclitus (the nearby pendant), Democritus appears as a young, laughing hedonist. He points to the distance, as though that is where the folly of mankind is found. Together, the pair of paintings conveys a moralizing message: whether you laugh or cry, the world remains incurably foolish.
Provenance
Gift of B. Asscher, Amsterdam and H. Koetser, Amsterdam
Registry history
- 1628 — Recorded in the collection of Rijksmuseum
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