Aristotle’s Difference

This essay revisits one of the most acclaimed paintings of Rembrandt van Rijn’s later years, Aristotle with the Bust of Homer (1654; The Metropolitan Museum of Art). The painter’s approach to the subject of this work owes much to visual precedents and to the reception of Aristotle among early modern men of letters, including within the intellectual circles of seventeenth-century Holland. The unusual appearance of the philosopher, which has often led to conflicting interpretations, becomes much clearer when considered against the long-standing perception of his cultural “otherness.” The stance and gesture of this Aristotle not only affirm his identity but point to key aspects of his epistemology, focusing on the role of touch as the first step toward knowledge.