Salvator Rosa

Self Portrait (1650s), oil on canvas, 75 x 62.5 cm., Detroit Institute of Art

Years of life:	1615 – 1673
Art Movement:	Baroque
Painting School:	Neapolitan school

Genre:	Portrait , Religious , Mythology , Genre scenes , Military art
Country:	Italy
Century:	XVII

A feisty, authority-defying, narcissistic, lover of all things gloomy. Poet, actor, musician, satirist. He is now known for his mysterious, stormy landscapes and scenes of witchcraft (both much collected in the 18th and early 19th centuries). He was said to have fought by day and painted by night.

Salvator Rosa’s major works are The Return of Astraea, 1640–45 (Vienna: Kunsthistorisches Museum); Human Fragility, c. 1656 (Cambridge: Fitzwilliam Museum); The Spirit of Samuel Called up before Saul by the Witch of Endor, 1668 (Paris: Musée du Louvre).

References:

Robert Cumming. Art: complete encyclopedia. – 512 p. – Moscow: Astrel, 2005.

Artworks:

Marine Landscape with Towers

1645

Marine Landscape with Towers • 1645
Self portrait

Self portrait
Studies for the Death of Empedokles

1666

Studies for the Death of Empedokles • 1666
A Witch

1646

A Witch • 1646
Scene from Greek history. The deaf-mute son of King Croesus prevents the Persians from killing his father

1663

Scene from Greek history. The deaf-mute son of King Croesus prevents the Persians from killing his father • 1663
Scene from Greek history: Thales causing the river to flow on both sides of the Lydian army

1663

Scene from Greek history: Thales causing the river to flow on both sides of the Lydian army • 1663
Soldiers Gambling

1656-1658

Soldiers Gambling • 1656-1658
Self-portrait

1650

Self-portrait • 1650
Democritus in Meditation

from 1650 until 1651

Democritus in Meditation • from 1650 until 1651
Self-Portrait

1647

Self-Portrait • 1647
Allegory of Fortune

1658-1659

Allegory of Fortune • 1658-1659
Monks Fishing

Monks Fishing
St. Francis in Ecstasy

St. Francis in Ecstasy
Landscape with Tobit and the angel

Landscape with Tobit and the angel
Self-portrait

1645

Self-portrait • 1645
Lucrezia as Poetry

between 1640 and 1641

Lucrezia as Poetry • between 1640 and 1641
Democritus and Protagoras

between 1663 and 1664

Democritus and Protagoras • between 1663 and 1664
River Landscape with Apollo and the Cumean Sibyl

1655

River Landscape with Apollo and the Cumean Sibyl • 1655
Jacob’s Dream

1665

Jacob’s Dream • 1665
Heroic Battle

between 1652 and 1664

Heroic Battle • between 1652 and 1664
Astraia's farewell to the shepherds

Astraia's farewell to the shepherds
Pythagoras and the Fisherman

1662

Pythagoras and the Fisherman • 1662
The Shade of Samuel Appears to Saul

1668

The Shade of Samuel Appears to Saul • 1668
Grotto with Cascades

between 1639 and 1640

Grotto with Cascades • between 1639 and 1640
Evening Landscape

between 1640 and 1643

Evening Landscape • between 1640 and 1643
Warrior

Warrior
Rocky Landscape with a Huntsman and Warriors

1670

Rocky Landscape with a Huntsman and Warriors • 1670
Heraclitus and Democritus

1645-1649

Heraclitus and Democritus • 1645-1649
The Prodigal Son

between 1651 and 1655

The Prodigal Son • between 1651 and 1655
View of the Gulf of Salerno

between 1640 and 1645

View of the Gulf of Salerno • between 1640 and 1645
Harbour with Ruins

between 1640 and 1643

Harbour with Ruins • between 1640 and 1643
Human Fragility

Human Fragility
Diogenes Casting away his Cup

1650s

Diogenes Casting away his Cup • 1650s
Portrait of a Man

1640s

Portrait of a Man • 1640s
Portrait of a Philosopher

Portrait of a Philosopher
Self-portrait

1647

Self-portrait • 1647
A Cavalry Battle

between 1645 and 1652

A Cavalry Battle • between 1645 and 1652
Pythagoras Emerging from the Underworld

1662

Pythagoras Emerging from the Underworld • 1662
Glaucus and Scylla

1661

Glaucus and Scylla • 1661