Old man with a Key and Bag of Coins

Veneto
18th century, Oil on canvas

This small painting, in an elegant and precious frame, seems to allude to the theme of avarice or usury: a man with a cane, portrayed in half-length, empties a sack of coins into a bowl with one hand and with the other clutches a key, probably the key to a safe. The anonymous artist is likely an 18th-century Nordic painter active in Venice or, vice versa, an artist from the Veneto showing strong Nordic influence.