The Genius of Salvator Rosa

This etching, Salvator Rosa's psychological self-portrait, bears an inscription: Sincere, free, fiery painter and equable, despiser of wealth and death, this is my genius. He shows the artist naked, without worldly need. A Stoic philosopher and Pittura, goddess of painting, offer their wisdom, but the wreath in his hair gives us a clue as to where his innate sympathies lie. While we might expect a talented artist to wear a crown of laurels, Rosa's is crowned with ivy, the symbol of Bacchus and also the adornment of the satyress, the embodiment of unbridled passions.