Old Woman tearing at her Hair
After 1553.Not on display
On the reverse of this portrait is an old inscription in ink reading ‘MAESTRO QUINTIN’. Bosque attributed it to that artist in his catalogue, although emphasising the difference of technique between this work and that used for the old woman in The Temptations of Saint Anthony by Joachim Patinir and Quinten Massys (Madrid, Museo del Prado, P-1615), painted prior to 1522. He suggests that the present painting is close to works by Massys’ son Jan Massys. The painting’s poor physical state, with significant losses particularly in the face, have made some authors reluctant to attribute it to Quentin Massys.The painting is not a portrait, but rather reflects the artist’s interest in caricature influenced by Leonardo. It depicts an old woman, slightly more than half-length, who represents Fury or Envy, or possibly Folly, following Erasmus’ The Praise of Folly. The is also the case with the artist’s A grotesque old Woman in London (National Gallery) who is characterised by a foolish pride, blind to the ravages of time on her ancient body, which she displays in order to inspire love. In the present work the woman is shown with bare shoulders but not in the costly but out-of-date dress and headdress of the London painting and the one seen in The Temptations of Saint Anthony in the Prado. The figure is located in the foreground in a foreshortened position against a dark background.This arrangement confronts her with the spectator to whom she directs her vacant gaze, her mouth almost tracing a smile.The dynamic pose, expressive facial gesture and movement of the hands as she pulls her hair also contribute to a sense of immediacy and communication with the viewer. The early history of this painting is unknown. It was traditionally thought to have belonged to the Marquis of Leganés in the 17th-century, but in fact this may not be the case. In the 18thcentury it was in the collection of the Counts of Altamira. Although it does not appear in the 1753 inventory, the small number 470 at the bottom in white flanked by two crosses is comparable to the numbering on other works from that collection. The Board of Trustees of the Museo del Prado acquired the painting in Madrid from Antonio Muñoz Román on 14 October 1964. (Silva Maroto P., El Retrato del Renacimiento, Madrid: Museo Nacional del Prado, 2008, pp. 493).
