An Oriental Potentate Accompanied by His Halberd Bearer  1630

Jusepe de Ribera not only contrasted the sizes of the gigantic potentate and his dwarf halberd bearer but also juxtaposed their somewhat disheveled appearance with their grandiloquent poses. This caricature-like representation displays Ribera's usual strain of irony and frequent combination of figures of differing scale. [br] The striking crimson ink underscores the outl...