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After Salvator Rosa, 'The Philosophers' Wood', after 1645

About the work

This is a copy of a signed work by Salvator Rosa of about 1645 (now in the Pitti Palace, Florence). It depicts an episode from the life of Diogenes, the ancient Greek philosopher who wanted to be free of all earthly attachments. Upon seeing a boy using his hands to drink from a stream, Diogenes threw away his bowl, his last remaining possession. The philosopher, dressed in blue, appears in the centre of this work, clutching his bowl in his right hand.

During the 1640s, Rosa worked in Florence. He wanted to be seen as a painter of philosophical subjects, but this tranquil scene with its exquisitely painted details, like the glowing light on the horizon that throws the figures and trees into darkness, shows his immense talent for landscape painting. The towering mountains in the distance and silhouetted branches in the foreground would become staple characteristics of his work.

Key facts

Full title
The Philosophers' Wood
Artist
After Salvator Rosa
Artist dates
1615 - 1673
Date made
after 1645
Medium and support
oil on canvas
Dimensions
148.3 × 220.5 cm
Acquisition credit
Bequeathed by Princess Sophia Matilda, 1845
Inventory number
NG1892
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Previous owners

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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