Allegory of Avarice
The Met
Artist: Jacopo Ligozzi(Italian, Verona 1547–1627 Florence)
Department: European Paintings
Classification: Paintings
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 54 7/8 x 33 1/4 in. (139.4 x 84.5 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Eric Seiler and Darcy Bradbury, and Edward A. and Karen S. W. Friedman, 1991
Visual Descriptions
AI GeneratedVisual Summary
Brief Description
A seated woman with a skeleton, holding sacks, and a struggle in the background
Detailed Description
The vertical painting features a seated woman in the foreground, flanked by a skeletal figure and a distant landscape scene. The woman, positioned slightly left of center, has fair skin and dark hair partially covered by a pink and gold headband. She wears a long, flowing golden-yellow robe with a deep V-neck, revealing a pink undergarment. Her right arm is bent, with her hand resting against her cheek and her elbow on a dark, unseen surface. Her left hand holds a large, light brown, sack-like object. Her bare right foot is visible, resting on a dark ground. To her immediate left, a dark, ornate chest overflows with white pearls and a gold chain. Behind the woman, to her right, a large, yellowish-brown skeletal figure with dark, bat-like wings looms. Its head is positioned above the woman's head, looking down. Its left hand rests on the woman's right shoulder. Its right hand holds a small, dark object on a string, which is attached to another light brown sack, similar to the one the woman holds, hanging near her right shoulder. The background on the right side of the painting depicts a blue sky above a green, hilly landscape. In this scene, two male figures are engaged in a struggle. One figure, dressed in a reddish-brown tunic, holds a raised weapon, possibly a sword or club, over another figure in an orange tunic who is on the ground, appearing to recoil. A third, smaller figure in a light brown tunic is visible further back, with arms raised and body turned away.
Generated by gemini-2.5-flash
