Artwork
Lazarillo de Tormes and His Blind Master
Lazarillo de Tormes and His Blind Master is an oil painting by the Realist artist Augustin Théodule Ribot. It dates from 1875 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Lazarillo de Tormes and His Blind Master is executed in oil paint on canvas, a medium consistent with Augustin Théodule Ribot's broader practice as a painter.
Lazarillo de Tormes and His Blind Master is executed in oil paint on canvas, a medium consistent with Augustin Théodule Ribot's broader practice as a painter. The work measures 91.5 cm in height by 73.7 cm in width, producing a vertical, single-figure composition suited to the close, character-driven scene of the blind master and his young guide. Produced in France in 1875, the painting reflects Ribot's engagement with Spanish literary subject matter rendered through the tonal handling and meticulous surface treatment associated with his realist orientation.
History & Provenance
Augustin Théodule Ribot created the oil painting Lazarillo de Tormes and His Blind Master in 1875 in France. The work measures 91.5 cm in height and 73.7 cm in width, executed on canvas. It is currently held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is cataloged under the accession number 1980.282.
The painting depicts a scene from the Spanish picaresque novel, reflecting Ribot's focus on genre subjects during the late 19th century.
The painting Lazarillo de Tormes and His Blind Master by Augustin Théodule Ribot is housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is accessioned under the identifier 1980.282. It has been part of the museum's collection since its acquisition and was included in the exhibition "French Masters of the Nineteenth Century," held at the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1981.
Overview
Théodule‑Augustin Ribot, a French painter associated with Realism, completed an oil canvas titled Lazarillo de Tormes and His Blind Master in 1875. The work illustrates a moment from the anonymous 16th‑century Spanish picaresque novel, portraying the young Lazarillo guiding his visually impaired master. The painting is part of the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Subject & Meaning
The composition shows a boy in a red shirt on the left, holding a green jug and a staff, while an elderly figure in a black hat and white headband sits on the right. The interaction suggests a tender, pragmatic relationship, echoing the novel’s themes of survival, dependence, and the social contracts that bind servant and patron.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Théodule-Augustin Ribot (French:; August 8, 1823 – September 11, 1891) was a French realist painter and printmaker.
