Democritus

This lighthearted painting represents the Greek philosopher Democritus, known for his comical view of human folly. He wears a pelt of lynx’s fur, an allussion to his belief that humanity is foolish to consider itself superior to animals. Pointing at us with his eybrows arched and a smirk on his lips, he also gestures toward himself as if to say that no one is immune to imperfection.

Agostino was the most erudite of the Carracci. His biographer Malvasia describes him as a lover of geography who studied the plant and animal life of diverse climates. He likely knew Democritus from the ancient Greek author Plutarch’s Moralia, which was reprinted in Italian translation by Venetian publishers many times in the sixteenth century. Agostino executed this painting in Rome while assisting Annibale in decorating the Palazzo Farnese.