Beggar with Oysters (Philosopher)

Beggar with Oysters (Philosopher) — Édouard Manet. 1865–67.

Medium: Oil on canvas. Dimensions: 188 × 111 cm (74 × 43 5/16 in.); Framed: 223.3 × 145.5 × 17.5 cm (87 7/8 × 57 1/4 × 6 7/8 in.).

Collection record: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

Along with Beggar with a Duffle Coat , Beggar with Oysters formed part of a series of four paintings collectively called The Philosophers . The title refers to traditional representations of the ancient stoic philosophers, whose poverty was associated with wisdom. The anonymous men in these paintings would have been recognizable to Édouard Manet’s contemporary audience as urban types—social outcasts populating the streets of Paris. By depicting them at such a large scale and set against empty, dark backgrounds, Manet subverted expectations for paint-ing at the time, granting his figures a portrait-like, even heroic presence typically reserved for noble, historical, or religious subjects. Through his format and series title, the artist encouraged viewers to see these often-disregarded people as possessing rare insight.

Description: © Art Institute of Chicago, original record, CC BY 4.0. HTML formatting removed; wording retained. Other artwork metadata: CC0.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.