Solimena was probably born in Nocera dei Pagani; he worked mainly in Naples. After the death of Giordano he became the leading painter there, and acquired an international reputation. He combined a Baroque style with classical elements taken from artists like Raphael.
Francesco Solimena
1657 - 1747
Paintings by Francesco Solimena
This oil sketch has long been associated with a finished painting known as the Allegory of Louis XIV, King of France (State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg). Both feature Minerva, goddess of wisdom and warfare; here, she is seated on the back of a lion and points with a commanding gesture to a sh...
Not on display
The Aeneid, an epic poem by the Roman writer Virgil, tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan hero and son of the goddess Venus. In Book I, Aeneas comes to the city of Carthage. Worried for his safety, Venus devises a plot to protect him: she sends Cupid to the city disguised as Aeneas' son Ascanius,...
An unknown woman with a piercing gaze leans on a table, holding a closed fan in her left hand. The sitter’s elegant costume alludes to her wealth and status, as does the ornate silver ewer behind her. She is outdoors, under a cloudy sky.The portrait had traditionally been attributed to the celebr...
Not on display