The Old Usurer 1638

Jusepe de Ribera, in this canvas now hanging in the Museo del Prado, presents us with an old usurer, his aged features and simple garb overshadowed by the presence of a weighing scale. This instrument, a symbol of justice and balance since ancient times, here takes on a more sinister connotation, associated with greed. Scales are not only for merchants, they have long appeared in art depicting the Last Judgment, where souls are weighed to determine their worthiness. The archangel Michael is often depicted using scales, contrasting sharply with the usurer's earthly, perhaps even profane, act of measuring wealth. Ribera's composition evokes a sense of moral reckoning, inviting viewers to consider the weight of earthly actions on one’s soul. The deep shadows and the usurer's focused gaze convey an intense psychological state, engaging us on a subconscious level. Such imagery reveals the cyclical recurrence of symbols, reminding us that the motifs from the past resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings in varied historical contexts.