Jusepe de Ribera- Magdalena Ventura with Her Husband and Son (1631)
This 1631 oil painting by the Spanish Baroque artist Jusepe de Ribera depicts Magdalena Ventura, an Italian woman from the Abruzzi region who reportedly developed pronounced facial hair in adulthood. The work was commissioned by the Duke of Alcalá and is now housed at the Museo del Prado in Madrid.
Magdalena is shown standing while breastfeeding her child, with her husband partially in shadow behind her. An inscription included in the painting states that she was 52 years old at the time and began growing a beard at age 37. Contemporary documents suggest that Ribera’s patron considered her appearance a “wonder of nature,” reflecting early modern European interest in unusual physical conditions.
The painting formed part of a broader tradition of collecting and portraying people viewed as physically exceptional, alongside dwarfs, giants, and others represented in aristocratic curiosity collections during the 17th century.