  We present the results of first deep optical observations of the field of the
old ($\sim 10^8$ yr), nearby, isolated pulsar J0108-1431, in an attempt to
detect its optical counterpart. The observations were performed using the FORS1
instrument at the focus of the European Southern Observatory Antu Telescope of
the VLT. Observations with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) were
made to determine an accurate position for the radio pulsar at the current
epoch. The imaging data, obtained in the V, B, and U passbands reveal no
counterpart at the revised radio position down to $V \simeq 28$, $B\simeq 28.6$
and $U \simeq 26.4$. For a distance of 130 pc, estimated from the pulsar's
dispersion measure, our constraints on the optical flux put an upper limit of
$T=4.5\times 10^4$ K for the surface temperature of the neutron star, assuming
a stellar radius $R_\infty=13$ km. Our new radio position allows us to place an
upper limit on the pulsar proper motion of 82 mas yr$^{-1}$ which, for d=130
pc, implies a transverse velocity $\la 50$ km sec$^{-1}$.
