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
![An Allegory of Louis XIV](/media/34701/n-6521-00-000007-hd.jpg?cc=0.035509259259259254,0,0.16553240740740752,0&width=576&height=576&v=1d6544a423f5c10&bgcolor=fff)
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
![Dido receiving Aeneas and Cupid disguised as Ascanius](/media/34573/n-6397-00-000017-hd.jpg?cc=0.079312500000000008,0,0.25975,0&width=576&height=576&v=1d65448f8f829c0&bgcolor=fff)
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,...
![Portrait of a Lady](/media/34439/n-6254-00-000023-hd.jpg?cc=0,0.044425933638761628,0,0.15590726086352907&width=576&height=576&v=1d65447a4c196d0&bgcolor=fff)
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