This enigmatic picture has been interpreted in many ways. It is sometimes understood as a visual depiction of sexual passion.
The central figure lights and blows on a hot piece of coal, associated with sexual desire. The chained monkey and laughing fool on either side symbolise Man’s folly and his enslavement to this vice.
El Greco is a Greek artist of the Spanish Renaissance. He is famous for his Mannerist style that often incorporated dark, theatrical settings and dramatic lighting.
Found here
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Gallery
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Gallery
More Italian Old Masters
Featuring works by Old Masters such as El Greco, Titian, Tintoretto, Bellini, Cima and others, this collection was brought together by Henry Viscount Lascelles, later 6th Earl of Harewood, following an unexpected bequest during the First World War.
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Madonna and Child with Donor
- Italian Old Masters
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Francis I
- Italian Old Masters
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Portrait of a Lady
- Italian Old Masters
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Madonna and Child with Donor
- Italian Old Masters

Francis I
- Italian Old Masters
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Portrait of a Lady
- Italian Old Masters
Explore our Collections
Harewood House Trust, boasts an incredible collection of furniture, ceramics, and paintings, as well as gardens and grounds brimming with plants from around the world.
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British Portraiture
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British Furniture
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Sino-Himalayan Plants
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British Portraiture
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British Furniture
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