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Self-portrait
by Salvator Rosa
Italian, Neapolitan, 1615-1673
Oil on canvas; 39 x 31 1/4 in. (99.1 x 79.4 cm)
Bequest of Mary L. Harrison, 1921
According to the inscription, the picture was a gift by
Rosa to his friend Giovanni Battista Ricciardi (1624-1686).
Ricciardi
was a man of letters and a leader in moral philosophy at
Pisa. The painting is listed in an inventory drawn up after
Ricciardi's
death as "a philosopher who writes on a skull."
Although it was later described as a portrait of Ricciardi,
the figure resembles Rosa and it is likely to be a self-portrait.
The wreath of cypress is an emblem of mourning, while on
the table is a book by the Roman stoic philosopher Seneca
(Seneca's
name is a pentiment; it was painted out by Rosa). The Greek
inscription on the skull reads "Behold, whither, when."
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