Chilon, Spartan Philosopher and Councilor

An oval engraved portrait shows an elderly, heavily wrinkled man in a loose wrap or turban, his wild curling hair and beard rendered in dense hatching. He grips the rim of a large round shield at lower right, and a small helmeted head appears beside his shoulder. Inscriptions in the margins name the sitter and his Spartan origin.

Look closer: A small helmeted head peeks from behind the shield rim near the figure's right shoulder.

Artist

Jan Muller

Date

1596

Medium

Engraving; New Holl.'s second state of three

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

2864 × 3715 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951