Buona Ventura (1593-1594)
The Fortune Teller

Musei Capitolini

There are actually two versions of this painting: one in the Musei Capitolini, the second in the Louvre in Paris. It shows a young man, who looks rather feminine (possibly the Sicilian painter Minniti again), having his palm read by a Romani girl. The boy is charmed as he looks into her face, and she returns his gaze. Close inspection of the painting reveals what the young man has failed to notice: the girl is removing his ring as she gently strokes his hand. Whose fortune is this?