Neapolitan school of the seventeenth century. Circle of JOSÉ DE RIBERA (Xátiva, Valencia, 1591 - Naples, 1652)."Bust of an old man."Oil on canvas. Reengineered. Frame adapted from the 19th century.Measurements: 35 x 28 cm; 43 x 36 cm (frame).In the present work we can appreciate a portrait of great naturalism in which the bust of an old man is represented on a neutral background. The face is the absolute protagonist of the work, magnificently modeled through a wise use of light and shadow, with successful contrasts that enhance the plasticity of the features. The gaze focuses our attention, and is reflected with a veracity typical of a careful study of the natural. Because of the framing of the work, it is presumed that it is a fragment of a larger work, a sign also of the adapted frame that dresses it, from the 19th century.Due to the aforementioned formal characteristics, this painting can be related to the circle of José de Ribera, a key painter for the development of the naturalistic baroque not only in Spain, but also in Italy and in other national schools, given the great diffusion of his work. Called "el Españoleto", he was a key master of the Spanish Baroque, and in general of the history of art at the European level. Although no documentary sources or evidence of his youth are preserved, it is believed that he trained with Francisco Ribalta in Valencia, after which he went to Italy, first to the north and later to Rome, where he learned first-hand about the classicists and the Caravaggesque tenebrism of the Dutch who settled there. Finally he settled in Naples, where he arrived in 1616. Then began his period of maturity and splendor; Ribera enjoyed fame and a large workshop, and his works spread throughout Europe through engravings.