4:16 "Being French, she owned a café." I love how this implies that all French people just own Cafes.

There is a condition that effects women called polycystic ovary syndrome. Without going into too much detail, one effect caused by the disorder's effect on the patient's body, is excess hair growth. It is not uncommon for women with PCOS to be able to grow a full beard. A few friends of mine suffer from this condition, but only one has allowed her beard to grow out. She is a performer and an actress who has been in a few movies and popular plays. She's very confident, and I admire her very much.

I think he was making fun of her. Considering the time period, I think he was implying that Magdalena was more "manly" than her husband and made him look "meek" in comparison, which would have been an insult to both of them at the time. I don't know what Magdalena actually looked like but it's interesting to me that Ribera gave her other very masculine features besides her beard.

The only thing throwing me off about this painting is the funky anatomy - it reminds me of Madonna and child paintings from the Middle Ages when her breast would be coming out by her neck.

This painting is very odd. The breast at which the child is suckling is too high, too round and too far towards the centre of the body and it appears to lack an opposite number.

What I find most disturbing about this painting, especially now that I know what it's about. It's the fact that this single breast is physically misplaced on the body. I always believe this to be done as a symbolic message. Knowing noww what the painting is about, I have so many questions.

I feel like she was depicted as more masculine than she actually was. Because in most cases “bearded ladies” look exactly like they’re described, they are ladies with beards. But this painting clearly depicts a man with breasts, there is no indication of femininity other than the breasts. Her nose, her eyes, the hairline, the lips all look very masculine. I feel like this was a gross exaggeration of Magdalena’s condition and since it wasn’t enough that she had a beard, he reimagined her to be a man through and through with the exception of breasts. It’s clear the painter doesn’t have any qualms about highlighting and even exaggerating certain eye catching features such as the club foot, so it’s entirely possible the painting is not an accurate depiction and is a derogatory reimagining.

Firstly, I'm impressed that this lady managed to conceive and give birth at the age of 52. Especially when she possibly had hormonal and fertility difficulties. Secondly, I'm glad her husband doesn't seem to mind her her apparent masculinity, has stood by her and us still evidently attracted to her enough to give her a baby. This was in an era when physical looks were tied up with superstition and anyone who didn't match the ideal was shunned. Thirdly, the defiance in her gaze, her feeding of the baby - a distinctly female act that no man wpuld have been capable of - the fact that she is bathed in light, the caption informing us that she has already suffered losing three children, she seems to be triumphant and resilient to me. The artist may have originally wanted to mock her, but I'm certainly not laughing at her. I'm in awe of her strength.

I do question how accurate his depiction of her is. Her facial bone structure and even her hands look very masculine to the point where it feels like de Ribera was more interested in playing up her masculine features than in creating an accurate portrait. Of course, it's possible that she did simply have a very masculine face and masculine hands but I don't know, it looks quite exaggerated to me.

My good sir, I was intrigued by art at a young age, but never took it seriously, due to my lack of skill. Hearing your essays makes me realize with great sadness that I have been blind to the world of art. I believe it is because art required me to listen more than I thought. Art required me to be honest, and not hide behind my musical talent. The way you describe these paintings has rocked me to my core, and I cannot thank you enough for being the reason that I might someday become an artist myself

My concern is more the central collarbone breast...

It sounds like she had Poly Cystic Ovarian syndrome and developed hirsutism. I have it too and wasn’t diagnosed until 27, when I went through a second puberty too. The miscarriages also make sense because the cysts on one’s ovaries make it very hard to have a healthy full term pregnancy. This was a very well done and sensitive piece. But hairy women have not had “mixed” reactions, one trip around instagram will show you that. Bearded women are treated pretty terribly. Our ideas of gender are so rigid, that if you step outside that line even a little, you are heavily derided. But I hope that’s changing.

I feel that this painting depicts, ingeniously, an individual of moral strength and fortuitous character. There is determination and resolve in the posture and expression. The grip on the infant is steadfast but eerily aloof, almost gentile in contrast to how the other elements are depicted. This is a portrait of someone who is secure in their station within this family, a protector and provider (even if not of financial means). It seems to me that the notion that this person is a woman seems to be a fleeting thought.

I love your work so much. Passionate people talking about art has really given me a new and strong appreciation for it. Thank you❤️

having a bigger beard than your husband is a sigma female move

I was really confused when I saw the thumbnail for this video, but you did an amazing job of explaining this gorgeous portrait. You opened my mind. Thank you so much for pointing out her strength; it's inspiring. ❤️

Been following you since I've seen Stancyk. This, sir, is some quality analysis. Based af.

Awesome Video, I love the way you have presented this information without the goal of creating a conclusion for your audience, but to rather give us the relevant information to formulate a question, allowing us to create our own inferences. I have subscribed and am looking forward to seeing more of your content! P.S I would recommend doing a small EQ on your audio or perhaps getting a diffuser to go in front of your mic. The quality of your videos is of such a high quality and the only thing taking away from their polished, professional feel is a small amount of audio distortion which sounds like it might be due to air hitting the mic when you pronounce certain syllables.

This portrait is done with great care and tenderness - it is quietly reverent of a miraculous fact. I'd not seen it before this, and I thank you for the care you took to present this piece so well.💐

Es un retrato muy interesante y como bien dices, el sujeto principal está descrito con gran dignidad y sin asomo de burla o de morbo. Una obra muy bella.

The reason Magdalena looks more physiologically masculine than most bearded ladies is explained by the painter. Most bearded ladies' extra charms are ogten due to PCOS, and those women tend to look like most women except for having more hair. In some cases PCOS might mean slightly higher testosterone than is typical for females. However it rarely means male puberty levels of testosterone. The painter explicitly wrote ON THE PAINTING that Magdalena "went through male puberty at age 37". That means something specific, medically. Male puberty means she consistently had a male level of testosterone present for at least several yrs. A beard is the least of it. It changes musculature, skin, fat distribution, vasculature, shape of face, hands, pores, body density, causes male pattern baldness/thinning, and many other things a painting cannot capture so we don't know if she experienced (thickening of vocal chords causing deeper voice, a typical male sweat and scent, a typical male pattern of arousal, clitoromegaly, etc). The typical result of male puberty on a female body is the person looks, smells, sounds, etc like a typical male and is virtually indistinguishable from men, unless you see the persons breasts or genitals. This is the same result that trans men ie female-to-male-transexuals, have when they take adult male levels of testosterone consistently for several yrs. Obviously in Magdalena's case she did not choose to go through male puberty and something in her body caused this, because we didn't have exogenous hormones in the 17th century. But this is very much what a male level of testosterone does to a female body. this is the typical result of male puberty on an adult female body, and the painter explicitly wrote "she went through male puberty at age 37". She looks exactly like a modern female-to-male transexual does after taking male levels of testosterone for several years. Testosterone in the female body causes male puberty which goes way beyond facial hair and includes all the features you mention, and more. It is not the same as PCOS, which is the explanation for most " bearded ladies" extra charms. For some reason at age 37, her body began producing male levels of testosterone and did so for long enough for her to go through male puberty, so at least a few years. I don't know what specific condition caused that, though we can be sure it was something in her body, because they didn't make exogenous Testosterone in the 17th century.

My parents went to Madrid years ago and my mother bought me a copy of this painting in the gift shop. It was so odd, she knew that I would love it, which I do. Until now, I never knew anything about it. I’m so happy to find out something about it in this very interesting video. Thank you.

I'm so impressed with Goya's talent...the woman's face straight up glows.

Awesome as usual !

your channel is such a treat!

very interesting. A stunning painting for sure. I would only hope and pray I could paint with such subtlety

i see her as powerful and brave, she has a certain regal energy.

Tolkien fans be like: FINALLY SOMEONE GOT DWARVEN WOMEN RIGHT!!!

yes to me it looks like a serious portrait.

Thank you for this video, I've always wondered about this work and it was helpful to have it put in context. I've learned so much in the past few years about the spectrum that is gender, and this work gives me more to consider.

As a post menopausal Woman i have hair on my chin now and it is getting more.. Not too much that i can easily shave it tho... and have seen many other Women have it as well. Gr8ful She was described as a miracle of nature...❤lovely... Transgender is fo realz imho

The misplacement of the breast, in stark contrast to the realism of the rest of the painting is jarring. He seemed to have the skill to accurately paint a figure, but totally failed in a crucial spot, i can't help to wonder why. Did the woman not pose for the painting? Nudes were common, so why paint the breast from imagination and do it so horridly??

It is perhaps relevant that there was a trend towards "brutal reality" in Spanish painting at the time, also seen in some of Velazquez's paintings, where even ancient gods look like people from the street.

Surely I can't be the only one who doesn't find the depiction of the boy dehumanising? In fact, it seems highly sympathetic and full of joy.

But if she is 52 in this painting and went through a radical hormonal change that brought forward many masculine features, how did she get pregnant and how was she able to brest feed? The odd placement of one the breast can be found in other paintings, although not so late in art history. Even if Magdalena sat for him, he probably never saw her naked, and the brest is only meant to be a symbol to underline that she was a woman. It didn't need to be anatomically correct. I'd like to know more about the head piece. It seems to me that it doesn't look like what women used to wear. I would also like to know about the white cloth pending from her arm down her skirt. It could tell a lot about the back ground of the family.

Fantastic portrait by a renowned master of Spain's Golden Age. Truly incredible on many levels.

People in the comments saying that a woman who grows a beard would 'still look feminine' clearly have no idea how strongly hormones alone can affect one's appearance. Seriously, plenty of trans women who go on estrogen actually get shorter because they're on estrogen and plenty of trans men get big blocky hands and a more masculine frame from testosterone. If she 'went through a second puberty' she'd obviously start looking super different because of all that testosterone in her system!

I think it's an insult and a lampoon. I've actually met two bearded women, I worked with one who suffered from hormonal issues, both were otherwise obviously feminine and in fact very pretty. This painting has made the subject more masculine than her husband. So masculine that the possibility of her having sufficient female hormones to ovulate seems highly unlikely. Many conditions make a woman become bearded but several of the most common adversely affect fertility. Also, at the time most women (due to diet) became infertile earlier than is usually the case today, this subject looks closer to 50 than 40. Well past child bearing age. I think this is a piece of side show fakery or else, as already stated, the painter has deliberately added more and more manly features to lampoon his subject. Also the breast is misplaced anatomically which again bespeaks lampoon or fakery in a very deliberate almost careless fashion.

I’m just impressed that a 52 year-old woman can give birth

An interesting point to note is that her husband is present. He didn't abandon her when she changed.

It's like that scene in smiling friends

Knowing what we do of the education of these masterful painters they knew something of the esoteric studies of the masculine and feminine principles. Many of these paintings, including this one only interest the painter if they are also able to give clues to their philosophy. I can’t say for certain but just looking at it, it seems rife with symbols as well as a certain recognition of the dark edge of life. That place where light and dark meet and you can’t quite count on the rules being as you know them anywhere else. Brilliant painting and great video

Thank you. I've never seen this portrait, but it does appear to be a masterpiece. I've been an advocate, at least in my own mind, for the complete abolishing of gender norms. I fully believe that women and men should not be expected to behave in any gender-specific way simply because of what is between their legs. I think women should be allowed to wear a tuxedo without repercussions to the Met Gala and men should be allowed to wear an evening gown to the same affair without social repercussions. I also think the idea of "men" and "women" is ridiculous on its face. If someone is capable of doing something, they should not be ostracized and marginalized whether they've got male genitalia or female genitalia, but instead should be held up as human without the constraints of gender norms. I know many, many men who would give their left testicle to be allowed to wear a dress in public without being ridiculed and called a women. I also know many women who are very burly truck drivers and they're constantly criticized for every little thing they do wrong, even though their male counterparts perform 1/2 as well and get away with twice as many infractions. Again, I just wanted to thank you for making this video. It's great and I'ma share it all over. :)

This beautiful painting is an allegoric masterpiece born of celestial gen-i-us..

I love this painting in Bangladesh when I was a kid I saw many of what you call freak shows. It shows how many ways bodies and flesh can be malformed. It most likely was one of my early inspirations to get into medical science.

Wow! Thank you

I suffer from PCO. I can grow a full beard. I know this because I dont shave in my holidays. Its red and thick and soft. My body is quite feminin apart from being hairy. I was told since I was sixteen that I would be able to have children. Surprisingly I had a daughter at 41.

Looking into their faces, I am reminded of Crumb's sketch, titled, "Face Reality!!!" of a man holding another, by the back of the head, very tightly, ordering him to "Take a good look!".

This portrait seems to me supernatural, god-like, in that it depicts both maternal nurturing and paternal protectiveness in one all-embracing figure.

This is fascinating stuff.

An honest portrait, direct and respectful.

Your point of her husband standing behind her and she is the focus of attention with the baby is vital. If her husband was not in the picture I think the balance would be lost and an insult would be foremost in my mind. Very interesting thank you.

In my opinion, it is a beautyfull painting. In anyway. Rembrandt might have painted it. And that 'the man' is a woman and the mother of the child, does not strike me as odd. Maybe because painted so naturally, simple, loving, caring, warm. This painting is all about love.

Subject matter aside, I think this painting is magnificent.

I feel like the artist saw an opportunity; a subject worthy of renown.

your vids are great and unique. patience that your channel will escalate soon.

What is the object on the pillar to the right?

Bravo! C'est magnaphique-

'I don't know where boobs go, I'll just stick it here'

Magdalena has dignity in my eyes, I agree this was painted with respect for her.

I just stumbled across your channel. I’m seeing art I’ve never seen before. And probably will never have the opportunity to see irl. This particular painting is sadly moving. If what is described about this mother is true… I wonder if she was a hermaphrodite. Or what other genetic or condition caused her to go through puberty at 37 and have three miscarriages prior… otherwise how can you have miscarriages/pregnancones if you haven’t went through puberty? A bit confusing as I am no doctor. it’s really sad how we have been taught to treat human beings that are different than most. And it still goes on today. That’s the melancholy I feel in this painting.

that artist never saw a naked woman...

It gives mevthe impression that the portrait and message conveyed is accepting of the facts (i,e, This is the way it is)

How in God's name can you review this painting without pointing out what is in even more obvious than the beard. I would think you would be talking about the misplaced uni breast. What it looks like to me is too old men one of which has a single breast an extremely firm and round breast. Without your explanation I would assume that this was not to be viewed as realistic but as symbolic. The other thing is this woman with the beard had a baby at 53 years old you say???? Damn the beard is one thing but come on, a woman with a single breast that gave birth at 53!! The facial hair is secondary to importance. when you think of a woman with a beard, they still look like women. This truly was a miracle! Simply to give birth at 53 when most people's lifespan at that time was probably about 45!!

I remember seeing this painting in a relatively small gallery in Toledo some 35 years ago. The figures were painted a little under life size. The painting was executed with all of Ribera's skill, with attention to form and material texture. It struck me as a picture of great dignity and humanity. Seeing it again, it does seem that the breast is strangely configured, possibly the subject's modesty, didn't permit painting her entirely from life.

I think this painting is also a legal document. Even though she has a beard and all, aside from that, the position of her breast is to prove she is fully a female and lactating. Thus, the reason for the full breast - proving for legal reasons she is a female and the mother. It's not someone else's kid. Perhaps at the time and her unusual age this was important and ignorant people found it hard to believe. People may have had odd notions about her and her husband's relationship since she looked like a man. Maybe even for inheritance reasons this was significant? She was brave to face this but a good mother would. She did this for her husband and child who could have faced difficulties if this was not proven. Like saying it's the real deal even if I have a beard and hair loss. If you cover her face and see the rest of her figure, you would probably think it was a woman holding a child because it looks very feminine.

I think the more remarkable consideration is a woman gave birth to a baby at age 52? There may be more to the story than we know, but it’s certainly a thought-provoking image. There’s much I don’t like in our modern age, but I am grateful that greater sensitivity and kindness is shown to people with physical differences. True, I have read that some actually earned a good living, but probably the majority were exploited. I don’t know if it is accurate, but the movie about the Elephant Man always touches me when the doctor first sees John and sheds a tear in compassion.

Perhaps Magdalena is being portrayed as a strong figure. Kind of a breadwinner or head of the household. Since at that time, masculinity or men are more powerful than women, her features were more that of a male. It reminds me of that one true story about a woman posing as a man or cross dressing as one to be able to work, because in their culture, females should be left at home and men should be the breadwinners, the ones working. In my perspective, the painting is implying that women can be like a man.

Puts me in mind of Diane Arbus.

Many people are commenting on the position of her breast. Remember that women of this period wore stays. This was a firm bodice with a low neckline under their clothes. The breast is popped out over the top of the stays. This is why her breast is high, round and more central than expected.

This video was a great introduction to your channel. I’m for sure subscribing.

I love the sketch , often sketches are so much more lively than the final paintings . The breast in the painting is odd as i appears to be alone and slightly high . The child isn’t suckling which is weird as I would have thought that was the point of the pose . otherwise I can see why you are fascinated by the portrait.

It's not a portrait, it's an icon. And everything what is depicted on an icon is not reality but metaphor! 😀

Her. Magdalena has some mighty strong manly hands. I realise there are hormonal disorders, but in the current year this just hits different

What about the baby in the Magdalena 52 painting

I don’t see any exploitation. It’s real life. This is what we’d see if it was a photograph. The only thing that bothers me is the placement of her breast. Maybe she only had one? This artist is a master.

Really neat seeing a representation of an intersex woman from back then.

“Being french she owned a café”

Its just a smiling friends reference 😉

Before I even watched the video I thought "oh his wife left him with the kids and for 2 20's"

That women had beard outside Portugal. Can't attack us with that anymore

Err…..anyone going to comment on this woman having a baby at 52 years old? So many anomalieswith age, gender identity, anatomy and cryptic attribution that I think the commentary is suspect.

That painting isn't of a woman. Even without the beard, that's a man's face. Not to mention women's breasts don't grow out of their collar bones near the center of their body...thank god, that would be awkward. I also don't notice modeling for the second grapfruit-shaped breast there anywhere, it's as tho this is a guy wearing a boob-shaped bag around his neck. I'm calling shenanigans on Ribera. He made it up as he went along (and needed serious help with women's anatomy). There could have been a bearded lady, and maayybe she had a kid at 52 in the 1600's (though unlikely), but no way she looked like that. I think the painter intentionally turned her into a man for the entertainment of his patron. Insulting really.

Looks like the boss from smiling friends

Goya was a great satire painter...

PCOS generally causes very thin hair on your scalp. I have/had endometriosis, but not PCOS. I would’ve had a full beard if not for numerous laser treatments. I have thin head hair, though.

Good video, but his name was "José Ribera", as he was from Valencia, not Giuseppe.

"You guys don't have a problem watching someone eat, do you?"

No one is going to comment on how she gave birth in her 50s. Rare.

I see a lot about Pocs in the column, it does in fact cause hair growth but it does not place a breast high in the middle of a chest, cause conception at 52 or cause a woman to have men's hands. Something else has to be going on here.

4:29....She was even granted permission by the government to wear men’s clothes. The idea that a woman wearing men’s clothing being illegal in France is astounding to me.

I think he's selling the shock value.. So the subject's qualities probably were exaggerated.. Just probably though.

The true tolkien dwarfs.

why ignore the accent on the name alcala, pronounced al-ca-LAH, accent on the last syllable!

Well atleast now i know where psychicpebbles got ᴛʜᴀᴛ idea from.

My friend attended a US wedding bride and all her female relatives were bearded they were African American

The artist painted her as an older man. I don't think he painted her from life.

But they were paid a lot to be there selves, they were happy, if you read up and listen to them, they loved the freedom and how they got to see everywhere.

I do think the portrait may be making fun of what you call her "perceived lack of femininity". It isn't just her beard on display, she's additionally been made grotesquely masculine in a number of ways, which you did make note of. I think the contrast to the husband, in conjunction with this, is not to denote merely a strong personality or a respected position, but an inversion of propriety and of what is expected and thought natural and ideal. It is that inversion which is meant to be humorous- look at this woman, she is manlier than her husband. She's the one who wears the trousers. We see jokes of this kind made even today.

If she was 52 at the time of the painting, who's baby is that? Couldn't be hers. She's painted so masculine that I wonder if she wasn't really a he - beyond the text presented, is there really any way to verify? Either way, she doesn't look particularly loving or bemused in the painting.