Studies of Two Ears and of a Bat. Below, the motto: FULGET SEMPER VIRTUS
Medium
Red chalk and brush and red wash on beige paper. Composition outlined on all borders with ruled lines in black chalk
Dimensions
6-1/4 x 11 in. (15.9 x 27.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1972
Accession Number
1972.77
Tags
Art Historical Context
Jusepe de Ribera, known as Lo Spagnoletto, created this intimate drawing during his long career in Naples, where he blended Spanish and Italian artistic traditions. The sheet captures two carefully observed human ears alongside a delicate study of a bat, paired with the Latin motto “FULGET SEMPER VIRTUS,” or “Virtue always shines.” Such combinations of anatomical fragments and symbolic creatures were common in Baroque workshops, allowing artists to explore form while hinting at moral or emblematic meanings. Executed in red chalk with brush and red wash on beige paper, the work highlights Ribe...