The Fortune-Teller
probably 1630s
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
40 1/8 x 48 5/8 in. (101.9 x 123.5 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1960
Accession Number
60.30
Tags
Art Historical Context
Georges de La Tour'sThe Fortune Teller*, likely painted in the 1630s, is a captivating oil-on-canvas work from the French Baroque era, measuring 40 1/8 x 48 5/8 inches. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Paintings department (acquired through the Rogers Fund in 0), it showcases La Tour's mastery ofoscuro—the dramatic interplay of light and shadow defines his style. As a leading artist of the Lorraine school, La Tour drew inspiration from Caravaggio, using subdued lighting to heighten emotional tension and realism in everyday scenes. This painting exemplifies 17th-century genr...