Recently rediscovered and presented on the international market for the first time, this portrait of an Old man as a Vagrant or Pitocco by Giacomo Ceruti is an exceptional addition to the most significant part of his oeuvre: dignified portraits of marginalized people, painted with striking realism and with a “Compassionate eye” (the title of a recent exhibition on the artist at the Getty Museum, Los Angeles) that define him as a unique figure in 18^th century European art.

Here, the sitter is depicted leaning on his staff with both hands, and we can almost sense the weight of his body protruding from the canvas. The intensity of his gaze is heightened by the frontal pose, and we are compelled to linger on the deep wrinkles around the sitter’s eyes, the roughness of the patched clothes, the beautifully painted long beard and hair. It is obvious that we are not looking at a generic, allegorical subject but, rather, a serious meditation over the human condition of a real person.

This is perhaps the most revolutionary aspect in Ceruti’s work, defining his greatness in a wider perspective: unlike the typical moralizing or humorous depictions of social marginalization common at the time, he offers a highly personal, intense and dignified portrayal of individuals.