Aristotle with a Bust of Homer

The hand on the stone head makes the first connection. Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, rests his fingers on a bust of Homer, the poet associated with the Iliad and Odyssey. A heavy gold chain then draws your attention across Aristotle’s dark clothing. Attached to it is a medallion showing Alexander the Great, the ruler Aristotle once taught. Three kinds of achievement meet in the picture. Homer’s poems survived across centuries, Aristotle’s thinking shaped later scholarship, and Alexander gained power through conquest. Rembrandt places the living thinker between the ancient poet’s bust and the reward associated with his famous pupil. The painting suggests a comparison between lasting achievement and worldly success, though Aristotle’s precise thoughts remain outside the picture. A patron in Sicily commissioned the canvas from Rembrandt in 1653. Its dark tones and thickly built highlights belong to the painter’s mature style. Spend a moment with the different surfaces. The pale stone head, the softly lit face and the bright links of the chain respond differently to light. The philosopher’s hand brings two of those surfaces together.