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Spadarino is considered to be among Caravaggio's closest followers. The present painting was executed by combining dramatic chiaroscuro with a muted colour palette.
Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-247 B.C.) was the second ruler of the Ptolemaic Dynasty in Alexandria. An enlightened ruler, he demanded a translation of the first five books of the Old Testament, or Septuagint, for the Alexandrian Jews who more commonly spoke Koine Greek than Hebrew.
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