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Bandits on a Rocky Coast

1655–60
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 620
Rosa became known for his distinctive, theatrically dressed figures in the guise of bandits or soldiers set within rugged, menacing landscapes like the one above this doorway. The character of the landscape highlighted the potential ferocity of his protagonists, suggesting a narrative tension even without any identifiable story. Many of the figures in this painting relate to Rosa’s etchings that disseminated his influence across Europe.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bandits on a Rocky Coast
  • Artist: Salvator Rosa (Italian, Arenella (Naples) 1615–1673 Rome)
  • Date: 1655–60
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 29 1/2 x 39 3/8 in. (74.9 x 100 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Charles B. Curtis Fund, 1934
  • Object Number: 34.137
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Three ox skulls, two horse skulls, and a grotesque head, study for "Democritus in Meditation", Salvator Rosa Italian, Etching and drypoint
Three ox skulls, two horse skulls, and a grotesque head, study for "Democritus in Meditation"
Salvator Rosa
1662
Three human skulls, study for "Democritus in Meditation", Salvator Rosa Italian, Etching
Three human skulls, study for "Democritus in Meditation"
Salvator Rosa
1662
Landscape with a figure seated on a rock, Salvator Rosa Italian, Etching
Landscape with a figure seated on a rock
Salvator Rosa
ca. 1640
Two ox skulls and a portion of a third, study for "Democritus in Meditation", Salvator Rosa Italian, Etching
Two ox skulls and a portion of a third, study for "Democritus in Meditation"
Salvator Rosa
1662
Diogenes casting away his bowl
Salvator Rosa
ca. 1661–62

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