Bartolomeo Manfredi, Italian
“I See You Marrying a Beautiful Woman and Becoming Rich and Famous. But Then I Had Chalamet Winning Best Actor, So…,” ca. 1616-17
Oil on canvas
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/// Should we pity The (fake) Fortune Teller
who conned fools in a dark, crowded cellar?
While she “read” a mark’s palm,
her sis showed great aplomb
as she “lifted” his cash from the feller.
/// At the same time the gals “pocket-picked” him,
there’s ironically one other victim.
Very dim light reveals
a man’s hand as he steals,
but for chicken theft, none will convict him.
/// Ignore what a naive crook believes.
If to do her job, someone deceives,
then she may come to harm. A
force some people call karma
proves no honor is found among thieves.
/// In this scene there is much to unpack.
Pockets are picked by those with the knack.
As the Roma girls stole
a young man’s money roll,
“Red-Plume” plucked a dead fowl from her sack.
/// To this artist, (Manfredi’s his name),
“chiaroscuro” brought painterly fame.
How he shows mostly dark
with one bright central spark,
(like fade-outs in the flick, “Auntie Mame”).