How does The Fortune Teller (Valentin de Boulogne) elucidate its Subject Matter?
The composition focuses on a large table with different figures placed around it, crowding the image. The theme of the painting is the dangers that could be found in the streets of Rome at the time and includes various figures robbing each other. The subjects are depicted in a tavern with a table that looks like a fragment of architecture. The table looks to be made out of marble and features an inscription of sorts on the front facing the viewer. It could be a fragment of the past Ancient Roman architecture of the area that has turned to a ruin. The soldier in the middle of the foreground splits the composition in two. The right side shows a group of soldiers watching as one of the men gets his palm read. The woman on the left side is the fortune teller who is offering up her services for them. Fortune tellers were very successful during the 1610-20s in Rome and they have also been referred to as a zingara.  The man in the red hat is stealing the fortune teller's rooster while the little girl is stealing his bag of coins. This is a play on the cheater being cheated and the corruption of Rome. The cheater being cheated is a reference to deceit, which was a common trait of both men and women during the early 17th century in Rome. It was common to steal things such as the items shown in the painting. Rome was a very dangerous place with drunkards, sword/knife fights, and murder.  These situations occurred in places like taverns, the streets, and even brothels.The size of this painting is done in a very large scale for Boulogne at this time in his life at about 5 feet by 8 feet.