Where Is Aristotle with a Bust of Homer? Museum Location

Q: What is Aristotle contemplating?

Aristotle touches Homer's blind eyes while wearing Alexander's medallion. He seems to reflect on the fate of great men: even Homer is now cold stone. Wisdom, fame, and mortality intertwine.

Q: Why did this painting set a world record?

In 1961 the Met paid $2.3 million, the highest price ever for a painting at that time. The acquisition made international headlines and demonstrated art's increasing value as investment.

Q: What is notable about Aristotle with a Bust of Homer?

Rembrandt the philosopher stands in rich Renaissance dress, his hand resting contemplatively on a bust of the blind poet Homer.

Rembrandt completed this Aristotle with a Bust of Homer in 1653 for the Sicilian collector Don Antonio Ruffo. The philosopher stands in rich Renaissance dress, his hand resting contemplatively on a bust of the blind poet Homer. A golden chain with a medallion of Alexander (Aristotle's pupil) hangs from his neck.

The painting meditates on fame, wisdom, and mortality. Aristotle seems to ponder the fate of even the greatest minds: Homer is now merely stone. In 1961 the Metropolitan Museum purchased it at auction for $2.3 million, then a world record for any artwork.

Aristotle touches Homer's blind eyes while wearing Alexander's medallion. He seems to reflect on the fate of great men: even Homer is now cold stone. Wisdom, fame, and mortality intertwine.

In 1961 the Met paid $2.3 million, the highest price ever for a painting at that time. The acquisition made international headlines and demonstrated art's increasing value as investment.

Rembrandt the philosopher stands in rich Renaissance dress, his hand resting contemplatively on a bust of the blind poet Homer.

Aristotle with a Bust of Homer

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Where to See It

The Artist

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