Death of Atilius Regulus

Death of Atilius Regulus

Salvator RosaWW-1661-119551
1661·Etching with drypoint on thick ivory laid paper·Plate: 46.2 × 72.6 cm (18 1/4 × 28 5/8 in.); Sheet: 52.7 × 76.3 cm (20 3/4 × 30 1/16 in.)

<p>Salvator Rosa paired this large-scale etching with a similarly oversize print of the crucifixion of Polycrates (the painting is also in the Art Institute collection, 1942.292). He dedicated this etching—depicting the gruesome end of the stalwart Roman consul Atilius Regulus at the hands of the Carthaginians—to his best friend, Giovanni Battista Riccardi, urging him to stay strong in the face of adverse fortune, just as Atilius Regulus “remains a firm center in the midst of so many nails.”</p>

Catalogue

Year
1661
Dimensions
Plate: 46.2 × 72.6 cm (18 1/4 × 28 5/8 in.); Sheet: 52.7 × 76.3 cm (20 3/4 × 30 1/16 in.)

Artist

Salvator Rosa
Salvator Rosa

Painting

Salvator Rosa is best known today as an Italian Baroque painter, whose romanticised landscapes and history paintings, often set in dark and untamed nature, exerted considerable influence from the 17th century into the early 19th century. In his lifetime, he was among the most famous painters, known for his flamboyant personality, and regarded as an accomplished poet, satirist, actor, musician and printmaker. He was active in Naples, Rome, and Florence, where on occasion he was compelled to move between cities, as his caustic satire earned him enemies in the artistic and intellectual circles of the day.

Naples, Italy

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More

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Polycrates' Crucifixion

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Polycrates and the Fisherman

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Dream of Aeneas

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Jason and the Dragon

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Record

Verified by WattsOS
Year
1661
Dimensions
Plate: 46.2 × 72.6 cm (18 1/4 × 28 5/8 in.); Sheet: 52.7 × 76.3 cm (20 3/4 × 30 1/16 in.)
Watts ID
WW-1661-119551

Source

Source
aic
Status
verified

Artist

Salvator Rosa

Salvator Rosa

Painting

View artist profile →