Title
The Fortune Teller, by Paolini (1681)
Creator
Paolini, Pietro
Date
1681, circa
Description
The Fortune Teller displays the exaggerated tenebrism (contrasting light and shadow) that was initiated by Caravaggio. Symbolic elements such as the mirror that the young man on the left is holding suggests vanity, while the garlic on his head may imply witchcraft. The gypsy fortune teller here acts as a procuress, telling the naive young woman she should accept the advances of her suitor. The latter, of course, has paid the fortune teller for the reading (from Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki)
The scene of an old woman reading a young woman's hand while there is a young male lover in the scene is a recurrente pictorial motif, suc as in the painting of the same title by Jean Broc (1771–1850)
The scene of an old woman reading a young woman's hand while there is a young male lover in the scene is a recurrente pictorial motif, suc as in the painting of the same title by Jean Broc (1771–1850)
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