Jusepe de Ribera: The Old Usurer (1638)

(Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain)

A painting by the Spanish artist Jusepe (or Jose) de Ribera (1591 - 1652). The old lady depicted is interpreted as an allegory of avarice. An old usurer, with wrinkled face, ragged clothes, an annoyed gaze and a distrustful expression, holds a set of scales. Painting from 1638.