Belisarius 17th century

This 17th-century drawing, attributed to an unknown artist, depicts Belisarius, a prominent Byzantine general, in his later years. The drawing, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, uses brown ink and wash to capture Belisarius's humbled state, shown blind and begging for alms. The image serves as a reminder of the fragility of fortune and the impermanence of power, themes often explored in Renaissance and Baroque art.