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A boy blows on a burning ember between a man and a monkey.
An Allegory (Fàbula) by El Greco, circa 1580 - 1585
© National Galleries of Scotland
Details
- Medium:
- Oil on canvas Dimensions: 66 x 88 cm
- Art Fund grant:
- £100,000 ( Total: £1,269,303)
- Acquired in:
- 1989
- Vendor:
- Biggart, Bailie & Gifford
The meaning is obscure - allegorical, moral, or the recreation of a lost work from a classical text, ekphrasis. It is likely that the picture illustrates a Spanish proverb: 'Man is fire; Woman is tow; and the devil blows them into flame'. It certainly seems that Fabula contained some warning as to the consequences of 'playing with fire'. This painting has a lightness of touch and fluency of form. This work was acquired with assistance from the Wolfson Foundation.
Provenance
Feret, Paris; C.Cherfils, Paris; Dr James Simon (Berlin), sale Amsterdam, 1927.
Venue details
Entry details
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