Salvator Rosa (Arenella, Naples 1615-1673 Rome)

A sorceress in conversation with a hag

Details

Salvator Rosa (Arenella, Naples 1615-1673 Rome)
A sorceress in conversation with a hag
numbered '26' (on the mount)
pen and brown ink
6¼ x 4¼ in. (15.9 x 10.7 cm.)

Provenance

Probably Queen Christina of Sweden, by whom bequeathed to
Cardinal Decio Azzolini, and by descent to
Marchese Pompeo Azzolini.
Prince Livio Odescalchi, and thence by descent.
with Galerie Gerda Bassenge, Berlin, 1974, no. B26.
Adolphe Stein (his dry-stamp, not in Lugt); his anonymous sale, Christie's, London, 4 July 2000, lot 8, where acquired by the present owner.

Literature

M. Mahoney, The Drawings of Salvator Rosa, New York and London, 1977, no. 25.14.

Brought to you by

Harriet West

hwest@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2541

Lot Essay

Mahoney (op. cit.) dates the present sheet to between 1640 and 1649, at the time Rosa was working in Florence. At this date Florentine society was fascinated with witchcraft and Rosa embraced its popularity not only in his paintings but also in a poem, La Strega, which he wrote with his fellow artist Lorenzo Lippi.

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