19 Works, December 28th. is Alessandro Rosi's day, his art, illustrated with footnotes #256

Alessandro Rosi  (1627–1697) 

St Sébastien cared for by Ste Irene

Oil on canvas

Height: 132 cm (51.9 in); Width: 167.5 cm (65.9 in)

Brest’s Museum of Fine Arts

Sebastian stood by a staircase where the emperor was to pass and harangued Diocletian for his cruelties against Christians. This freedom of speech greatly astonished the emperor; who gave orders for his being seized and beaten to death with cudgels, and his body thrown into the common sewer. A pious lady, called Irene, admonished by the martyr in a vision, got it privately removed, and buried it in the catacombs at the entrance of the cemetery of Calixtus, where now stands the Basilica of St. Sebastian. More on St. Sebastian

Alessandro Rosi (28 December 1627 in Rovezzano – 19 April 1697 in Florence) was an Italian artist, working during the Baroque period.

Alessandro Rosi, (Florence 1627–1697)

Diana, a Satyr and Cupid

Oil on canvas

85 x 67 cm

Private collection

Sold for EUR 32,800.- in May 2019

The present painting is an allegory of Chastity tempted by Vice, represented respectively by Diana and a Satyr. The subject created here by Alessandro Rosi attained considerable success among the painters of his day. More on this painting

In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt, the moon and nature being associated with wild animals and woodland, and having the power to talk to and control animals. She was eventually equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, though she had an independent origin in Italy. Diana was worshipped in ancient Roman religion and is revered in Roman Neopaganism and Stregheria. Diana was known to be the virgin goddess of childbirth and women. She was one of the three maiden goddesses — along with Minerva and Vesta — who swore never to marry. More on Diane

Alessandro Rosi

The Judgment of Paris

Oil on canvas

70 x 55 cm

Private collection

Sold for  €89,940.00 in Jun 2010

Alessandro Rosi

The judgement of Paris

oil on canvas

28 1/2  by 23 in.; 72.5 by 58.5 cm.

Private collection

Estimate for 120,000 - 180,000 USD in January 2013

The present canvas is an early work by Rosi. Compared with his more complicated and multi figured mature pictures, compositions from his early career can be generally categorized as simpler, and with only a few essential figures.

Rosi executed another version of the present composition, of slightly smaller dimensions. (See above)

According to the myth, which varies slightly between Greek and Roman sources, Zeus held a banquet to celebrate the marriage of Achilles' parents. Having not been invited, Eris, the Goddess of Discord, threw a golden apple into the fray, which was inscribed 'to the fairest one'. Athena (Goddess of War), Hera (Zeus's wife and Queen of the Gods) and Aphrodite (Goddess of Love) each claimed that the apple was certainly meant for them, and the mortal Paris was appointed by Zeus to judge who should receive the prize. Having each bathed in the spring of Ida, the goddesses appeared to Paris, who was tending his flock on the mountain, and attempted to bribe him with various prizes. Hera offered to make him King, Athena to transform him into the ultimate warrior, and Aphrodite offered the love of the world's most beautiful woman. In the end, he awarded the apple to Aphrodite and received in return the love of Helen, wife of King Menelaus of Sparta, thereby providing the catalyst for the Trojan War. More on The judgement of Paris

Alessandro Rosi

Ceres

Oil on canvas

22 3/8 by 33 1/4 in.; 56.8 by 84.5 cm.

Private collection

Estimated for  $20,000 USD - $30,000 USD in Jan 2008

In ancient Roman religion, Ceres was a goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. She was originally the central deity in Rome's so-called plebeian or Aventine Triad, then was paired with her daughter Proserpina in what Romans described as "the Greek rites of Ceres". Her seven-day April festival of Cerealia included the popular Ludi Ceriales (Ceres' games) She is usually depicted as a mature woman.

Ceres is the only one of Rome's many agricultural deities to be listed among the Dii Consentes, Rome's equivalent to the Twelve Olympians of Greek mythology. The Romans saw her as the counterpart of the Greek goddess Demeter, whose mythology was reinterpreted for Ceres in Roman art and literature. More on Ceres

Alessandro Rosi

Bacchanalia, c. 1670

Oil on canvas, 67 x 90 cm

Private collection

Bacchanalia,  also called Dionysia, in Greco-Roman religion, any of the several festivals of Bacchus (Dionysus), the wine god. They probably originated as rites of fertility gods. Introduced into Rome from lower Italy, the Bacchanalia were at first held in secret, attended by women only, on three days of the year. Later, admission was extended to men, and celebrations took place as often as five times a month. The reputation of these festivals as orgies led in 186 bc to a decree of the Roman Senate that prohibited the Bacchanalia throughout Italy, except in certain special cases. Nevertheless, Bacchanalia long continued in the south of Italy.  More on Bacchanalia

Rosi trained in the workshops of Jacopo Vignali and Cesare Dandini, along with other young Florentine artists such as Carlo Dolci. It seems that he undertook a study trip to Rome, where he saw the work of Simon Vouet and Giovanni Lanfranco. In his early works the influence of his teacher Dandini can be seen, especially in the treatment of drapery, to which the latter always paid great attention. His biographer Baldinucci described him as having the extravagant temperament of an artist. Rosi enjoyed the patronage of some of the most important Florentine families of the time, such as the Corsini or Rinuccini families, for which he undertook large decorative projects. He also made a series of ten designs for tapestries commissioned by Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. His foremost pupil was Alessandro Gherardini. He died at the age of seventy after being struck by a falling column while walking along the Via Condotta in Florence.

Alessandro Rosi

The guardian angel

Oil on canvas

69.3 by 55.9 cm.; 27 1/4  by 22 in.

Private collection

Sold for 37,500 GBP in December 2014

This engaging image embodies those qualities of emotional and religious intensity depicted in the sinuous style of the Florentine Seicento for which Alessandro Rosi is admired. The theme of the guardian angel was employed several times by Carlo Dolci, the leading figure in Florence of the generation preceeding Rosi's. Dolci's influence can be felt in the in the use of the half-length figures, the intensity of the relationship between the angel and youth, and in the distinctive profile of the angel. More on this painting

Alessandro Rosi

Cain and Abel

oil on canvas

26 3/4  by 20 1/2  in.; 68 by 52 cm.

Private collection

Sold for 37,500 USD in January 2018

In the dramatic scene, Rosi depicts the moment just after Cain has slain his brother Abel, who lays ashen in the foreground, as God the Father appears in a swirl of clouds above.  In Rosi's striking composition, Cain's back is turned to the viewer as he looks up at God above, the drama of their encounter enhanced by the stormy blue and purple sky. More on this painting

Alessandro Rosi

Rebecka at the well

Oil on canvas

117 x 92 cm

Private collection

Abraham wanted a wife for his son Isaac and sent his senior steward to his homeland of Mesopotamia to find a suitable woman. Tired after his long journey, the steward stopped at a well and prayed for guidance. When Rebecca came to get water, she offered it to the old man and his camels, and he recognized her as the appointed bride.

Alessandro Rosi

Hagar and the Angel

Oil on canvas

101 x 80 cm

Private collection

Sold for GBP 24,000 in Jul 2005

In this biblical narrative, which appears in Genesis 21:15–19, Hagar and her son Ishmael are expelled from Abraham’s house and wander in the wilderness for days. Having run out of water, Hagar can no longer bear the sight of her suffering son, so she leaves Ishmael under a bush and goes off to pray. 

Then an angel appears to her and says, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” God opens her eyes, and she sees a well to provide water for her dying son. She fills her empty flask with water and returns to the young boy to revive him. More on Hagar and the Angel

Alessandro Rosi

The Holy family

Oil on canvas

Musée départemental de l'Oise

Alessandro Rosi

The Holy Family

Oil on canvas

47 5/8 x 43 7/8 in. (121 x 111.5 cm.)

Private collection

Sold for GBP 344,750 in Jul 2018

The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph. Veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the first bishop of New France, who founded a Confraternity.

Matthew and Luke narrate the episodes from this period of Christ's life, namely his Circumcision and later Presentation, the Flight to Egypt, the return to Nazareth, and the Finding in the Temple.[Joseph and Mary were apparently observant Jews, as Luke narrates that they brought Jesus with them on the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem with other Jewish families. More on The Holy Family

The arrangement of the Madonna and Child is drawn from a successful invention by Dandini, which Rosi’s master treated on a number of occasions, including versions in the Ospedale di Santa Maria Nuova in Florence and a private collection in Milan (S. Bellesi, Cesare Dandini, Turin, 1996, pp. 177-8, nos. 119-120). Rosi elaborates on the composition with a touch of humour and domestic realism, as the cat paws at the dish on the table, and the Child plays with the bows of the Madonna’s dress; the embroidered draperies and architectural setting meanwhile speak of a new baroque exuberance. More on this painting

Alessandro Rosi (Florence 1627–1697)

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas

Oil on canvas

108 x 84 cm

Private collection

Estimated for EUR 40,000.- to EUR 60,000.- in Oct 2017

The painting shows the episode that gave rise to the term "Doubting Thomas" which, formally known as the Incredulity of Thomas, had been frequently represented in Christian art since at least the 5th century, and used to make a variety of theological points. According to the Gospel of John, Thomas the Apostle missed one of Jesus's appearances to the Apostles after his resurrection, and said "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."John 20:25 A week later, Jesus appeared and told Thomas to touch him and stop doubting. Then Jesus said, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."John 20:29 More on The Incredulity of Saint Thomas

Alessandro Rosi

Mary Magdalene

Oil on canvas

144 x 89.5 cm

Private collection

Sold for 30.000,00 EUR

Mary Magdalene is sitting on a rock with a wooden crucifix in hand and surrounded by angels. The color of the drapery, lying in order to create subtle chiaroscuro effects, gives plasticity to the figure.

Mary Magdalene,  literally translated as Mary the Magdalene or Mary of Magdala, is a figure in Christianity who, according to the Bible, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers. She is said to have witnessed Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Within the four Gospels she is named more than most of the apostles. Based on texts of the early Christian era in the third century, it seems that her status as an “apostle" rivals even Peter's.

The Gospel of Luke says seven demons had gone out of her. She is most prominent in the narrative of the crucifixion of Jesus, at which she was present. She was also present two days later when, she was, either alone or as a member of a group of women, the first to testify to the resurrection of Jesus. John 20 and Mark 16:9 specifically name her as the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection.

During the Middle Ages, Mary Magdalene was regarded in Western Christianity as a repentant prostitute or promiscuous woman, claims not found in any of the four canonical gospels. More Mary Magdalene

Alessandro Rosi (Florence 1627-1707)

The Ecstasy of Saint Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi

oil on canvas

47¼ x 40 in. (120 x 101.6 cm.)

Private collection

Sold for GBP 46,100 in Apr 2008

St. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi was a Carmelite nun of Florence who lived from 1566 to 1607. Baptised Caterina, she was the daughter of a union between two great noble families--her father being Camillo Geri de' Pazzi and her mother a member of the Buondelmonti house. Caterina received her first ecstatic vision at the age of 12. From the age of 14 she studied at the Calaresse, where the sisters observed her remarkable piety and prophesied that she would become a great saint. At the age of 16, having convinced her parents of her decision to dedicate herself to God, Caterina entered the Carmelite convent of Santa Maria degl' Angeli, well-known for its strict observance; she was clothed in 1583--taking the name Maria Maddalena--and professed in 1584.

The extraordinary was ordinary for this saint. She read the thoughts of others and predicted future events. During her lifetime, Mary Magdalene appeared to several persons in distant places and cured a number of sick people.

St. Mary held a number of offices in the convent before rising to that of Superior in 1604. Throughout her life, she continued to experience divine raptures, which often led her to utter maxims of Divine Love and spiritual counsel that were later collected as her Works. Beatified by Urban VII on 8 May 1626, she was canonised by Clement IX on 28 April 1669; her feast is kept on 27 May. More on Alessandro Rosi

Alessandro Rosi (Florence 1627 - 1697)

Sant'Agata curated by San Pietro, c. 1650-60

Oil on octagonal canvas

98x77 cm and 94x78 cm

Private collection

Sold for 70 000 € in May 2019

Rosi adopted this style that led him to success: dense and flagrant brushstrokes, drapery puffy, bright and enameled colors, strong chiaroscuro effects.

Pietro is caught in the act of spreading the ointment on the battered breast of the young woman who perhaps out of modesty looks away from the loving gesture, showing us the profile, the shoulder and the breast left uncovered by the shirt. The pose of this female figure recurs throughout Rosi's work. 

The sacred book and the palm of martyrdom in the foreground and the three blond cherubs with tufts wind in the background. More on this painting

Having dedicated her virginity to God, fifteen-year-old Agatha rejected the amorous advances of tRoman prefect Quintianus, who then persecuted her for her Christian faith. He sent Agatha to Aphrodisia, the keeper of a brothel. The madam finding her intractable, Quintianus sent for her, argued, threatened, and finally had her put in prison. Amongst the tortures she underwent was the cutting off of her breasts with pincers. After further dramatic confrontations with Quintianus, Saint Agatha was then sentenced to be burnt at the stake, but an earthquake saved her from that fate; instead, she was sent to prison where St. Peter the Apostle appeared to her and healed her wounds. Saint Agatha died in prison.  More on Saint Agatha of Sicily

Alessandro Rosi  (1627–1697)

Santa Cristina consoled by the Angels, c. 1650-60

Oil on octagonal canvases

98x77 cm and 94x78 cm

Private collection

Estimated for  £15,000 GBP - £25,000 GBP in Jul 2005

The painting narrates the tortures inflicted by the father and the emperor on the young and beautiful Cristina, first segregated in a tower and then pierced by arrows following her obstinacy not to want to renounce the Christian faith. Her bruised complexion is the clear sign of the suffering she is undergoing.

Wrapped in a lilac-colored dress, on which rests a white shawl embellished with blue and golden borders, Cristina is tied by a rope to a pole, exposed to the wrath of torturers who nevertheless do not appear in the representation. Unbalanced on one side, with her head bent, looking afflicted and aching, the young woman seems to find comfort only in the little angel who offers her the palm of martyrdom and in the two cherubs that look out into the sky crossed by clouds streaked with the same lilac of the his dress. More on this painting

Alessandro Rosi  (1627–1697)

S. Michele e S. Benedetto/S. Michele and S. Benedetto, c. 1665

Oil on canvas

Monastero di San Clemente (Prato)

San Michele is the Italian name of Saint Michael the Archangel.

The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in 3rd and 2nd century BCE Jewish works, often but not always apocalyptic, where he is the chief of the angels and archangels and responsible for the care of Israel. Christianity adopted nearly all the Jewish traditions concerning him, and he is mentioned explicitly in Revelation where he does battle with Satan, and in the Epistle of Jude, where the author denounces heretics by contrasting them with the Michael. He is also mentioned in surah of the Quran, where the Jews of Medina challenge Muhammed to tell them the name of the angel from whom he received revelation, and when told that it was Gabriel they reply that revelations came from Michael. More on Saint Michael

Saint Benedict founded twelve communities for monks at Subiaco, Lazio, Italy, before moving to Monte Cassino in the mountains of southern Italy. The Order of Saint Benedict is of later origin and, moreover, not an "order" as commonly understood but merely a confederation of autonomous congregations.

Benedict's main achievement, his "Rule of Saint Benedict", contains a set of rules for his monks to follow. Heavily influenced by the writings of John Cassian, it shows strong affinity with the Rule of the Master, but it also has a unique spirit of balance, moderation and reasonableness, which persuaded most Christian religious communities founded throughout the Middle Ages to adopt it. As a result, his Rule became one of the most influential religious rules in Western Christendom. For this reason, Giuseppe Carletti regarded Benedict as the founder of Western Christian monasticism. More on Saint Benedict

Alessandro Rosi  (1627–1697)

Female Saint with Putto

c. 1646

Oil on canvas, 64 x 51 cm

Private collection

Sold for GBP 37,600 in Dec 2001

The life and career of Alessandro Rosi had long remained hidden from scholarly attention, until 1989 when Alessandra Guicciardini published a study on his commission for the Palazzo Corsini in Florence. Until that point, many of his pictures had routinely been attributed to Sigismondo Coccapani, a Florentine contemporary, close in style. Rosi led a colourful life, noted by his biographers as a skilled draughtsman, who trained with Cesare Dandini and worked for Ferdinand de’ Medici, and died in an ‘extraordinary accident’: while walking on the via Condotta in Florence, a column fell from a terrace above and killed him. More on Alessandro Rosi

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26 Works, December 11th. is Johann Michael Rottmayr's day, his art, illustrated with footnotes #247

Johann Franz Michael Rottmayr (Austrian, 1654–1730)

Venus and Adonis

Oil on Canvas

95 x 197 cm. (37.4 x 77.6 in.)

Private collection

Venus and Adonis is a narrative poem by William Shakespeare published in 1593. It is probably Shakespeare's first publication.

The poem tells the story of Venus, the goddess of Love; of her unrequited love; and of her attempted seduction of Adonis, an extremely handsome young man, who would rather go hunting. The poem is pastoral, and at times erotic, comic and tragic. It contains discourses on the nature of love, and observations of nature. More on Venus and Adonis

Johann Michael Rottmayr (11 December 1656 – 25 October 1730) was the first native-born Austrian painter of the 18th century to achieve preeminence over the Italians, thus beginning the great century of Austrian baroque painting.

Johann Michael Rottmayr  (1656–1730)

Homage to a Tutelary Goddess

Oil on canvas

Height: 135 cm (53.1 in); Width: 170 cm (66.9 in)

Residenzgalerie Salzburg

A tutelary is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety and thus of guardianship.

In late Greek and Roman religion, one type of tutelary deity, the genius, functions as the personal deity or daimon of an individual from birth to death. Another form of personal tutelary spirit is the familiar spirit of European folklore. 

A similar concept in Christianity would be the patron saint example of archangels "Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, etc." or to a lesser extent, the guardian angel. More on a Tutelary Goddess

This oil sketch depicts the apotheosis of a flourishing reign over a country or city. It is not known whether the sketch was translated into a larger painting.

Rottmayr born in Laufen, a small town near Salzburg, and probably learned the rudiments of his craft from his mother, who was a painter. About 1675 he went to Venice, entering the workshop of Karl Loth, an expatriate Bavarian, with whom he remained for 13 years. About 1688 he returned to Austria and soon entered the service of the prince-bishop of Salzburg, Johann Ernst Graf Thun, who favored German artists over the Italians, who still dominated art north of the Alps.

Johann Michael Rottmayr  (1656–1730)

Tarquinius and Lucretia, c. 1692

Oil on canvas

118 x 169 cm

Austrian Gallery Belvedere

Lucretia, legendary heroine of ancient Rome. According to tradition, she was the beautiful and virtuous wife of the nobleman Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus. Her tragedy began when she was raped by Sextus Tarquinius, son of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the tyrannical Etruscan king of Rome. After exacting an oath of vengeance against the Tarquins from her father and her husband, she stabbed herself to death. Lucius Junius Brutus then led the enraged populace in a rebellion that drove the Tarquins from Rome. The event (traditionally dated 509 BCE) marks the foundation of the Roman Republic. The story is first found in the work of the earliest Roman historian, Fabius Pictor (late 3rd century BCE). Its classic form is Livy’s version (late 1st century BCE). Lucretia’s story is also recounted in Shakespeare’s narrative poem The Rape of Lucrece. More on Lucretia

Johann Michael Rottmayr

Death of Seneca, c. after 1692

Oil on canvas

height 127 cm, width 181 cm

National Gallery Prague

Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger, usually known as Seneca, was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and, in one work, satirist, from the post-Augustan age of Latin literature.

Seneca was exiled to the island of Corsica under emperor Claudius, but was allowed to return in 49 to become a tutor to Nero. When Nero became emperor in 54, Seneca became his advisor and the praetorian prefect Sextus Afranius Burrus, provided competent government for the first five years of Nero's reign. Seneca's influence over Nero declined with time, and in 65 Seneca was forced to take his own life for alleged complicity in the Pisonian conspiracy to assassinate Nero, in which he was likely to have been innocent. His stoic and calm suicide has become the subject of numerous paintings. More on Seneca

The canvas was painted in the first half of the 1690s, soon after Rottmayr’s return from Italy at the turn of 1687. After that, the painter was employed by the new Archbishop of Salzburg, Johann Ernst Thun, and soon he also started working for other members of the Thun family in Bohemia. The painting, Death of Seneca, was commissioned by Maximilian Thun, along with other canvases by Rottmayr, now held by the Czech and Austrian collections, to decorate his residence in the Lesser Town of Prague. According to Tacitus‘ Annales, Seneca, Emperor Nero’s tutor, was accused of conspiracy, and at the command of the emperor, he committed suicide. Seneca is supported by a soldier, whereas one of his servants is getting ready to fulfil Seneca’s wish and cut his vein. Also present at the scene is one of his pupils, who records the philosopher’s last words. In the background, Nero and his wife look on. More on this painting

 

Johann Michael Rottmayr

Diana and Endymion, c. 1690–1695

Oil on canvas

32 × 49 1/2 in. (81.3 × 125.2 cm)

Art Institute of Chicago

The painting depicts the Roman goddess Diana, one of the twelve Gods and Goddesses of Olympus, falling in love with Endymion, a symbol of timeless beauty. The story tells of Diana's love for the beautiful youth Endymion. 

Endymion used to go to sleep on the mountaintop where he guarded his sheep. Diana was falling in love with his beauty, but her love remained unfulfilled, because Diana was a chaste goddess. Diana has her gaze fixed on the sleeping youth's body, with a mixture of desire and despair.

According to the legend Diana used to come and kiss Endymion when he was asleep on the top of the mountain each night. Diana's light touch partly drew Endymion from his slumber and he caught a brief glance of her. Incredulous at her beauty, he attributed it to a dream and began to prefer his dreamlike state over mundane daily routines yet he was never awake when she was present. Through her love, Endymion was granted eternal youth and timeless beauty. More on Diana and Endymion

Johann Michael Rottmayr  (1656–1730)

Kephalos and Prokris, c. 1706

Oil on canvas

Height: 145 cm (57 in); Width: 121 cm (47.6 in)

Vienna Museum

The earliest version of Procris' story comes from Pherecydes of Athens. Cephalus remains away from home for eight years because he wanted to test Procris. When he returns, he succeeds in seducing her while disguised. Although they are reconciled, Procris suspects that her husband has a lover because he is often away hunting. A servant tells her that Cephalus called to Nephele (cloud) to come to him. Procris follows him the next time he goes hunting and leaps out of the thicket when she hears him call out to Nephele again. He is startled and shoots her with an arrow, thinking that she is a wild animal, and kills her. More on Kephalos and Prokris

Johann Michael Rottmayr  (1656–1730)

Die Opferung Iphigeniens/ The sacrifice of Iphigenies, c. between 1690 and 1691

Oil on canvas

Height: 205 cm (80.7 in); Width: 135 cm (53.1 in)

Austrian Gallery Belvedere

In Greek mythology, Iphigenia was a daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra, and thus a princess of Mycenae.

In the story, Agamemnon offends the goddess Artemis on his way to the Trojan War by accidentally killing one of Artemis' sacred stags. She retaliates by preventing the Greek troops from reaching Troy unless Agamemnon kills his eldest daughter, Iphigenia, at Aulis as a human sacrifice. In some versions, Iphigenia dies at Aulis, and in others, Artemis rescues her. In the version where she is saved, she goes to the Taurians and meets her brother Orestes. More on Iphigenia

Johann Michael Rottmayr

Jove casts his Thunderbolts at the Rebellious Giants, c. 1690–1695

Oil on canvas

32 × 49 1/2 in. (81.3 × 125.2 cm)

Art Institute of Chicago

Jove is an alternative name of the Roman god, Jupiter, who was a Latinized copy of the Greek god, Zeus. Therefore, the myth that inspired this scene with ‘Jove’ and his thunderbolts came not from Rome, but from ancient Greece. For the story depicted in the painting, we must go back in the mythological timeline to the so-called Titanomachy (the war in which Zeus and the Olympian gods overthrew the Titans). During that war, the primordial earth goddess, Gaia, forsook her Titan children and became an ally (or at least an advisor) to Zeus. Although Gaia apparently did not mind the authority of her children being usurped by her grandchildren, she did evidently feel anger at the decision made by Zeus to imprison certain Titans in Tartarus. As the story goes, Gaia let her rage fester for a long time, and she only decided to act after the hero, Heracles, had been born. Nevertheless, when she decided to act, Gaia brought about the scene featured above in the painting. Hoping to punish Zeus and his followers, Gaia looked to another race of her offspring—the giants—and incited a war between them and the Olympians.

This chaotic battle between the gods and the giants is what inspired Johann Michael Rottmayr’s painting. He focused on Zeus’ actions during the mayhem, but as can be seen from the quote above, it was a group effort involving all of the Olympians and their allies. Most important of all was Heracles, whose role of finishing off the incapacitated giants was pivotal to the victory of the gods. More on this painting

Johann Michael Rottmayr

Mercury rescues the disguised Io after beheading Argus, c. 1685–1700

Oil on canvas

32 × 49 1/2 in. (81.3 × 125.2 cm)

Art Institute of Chicago

Jupiter (Zeus) falls in love with Io, a priestess of Hera, his wife, who quickly discovers the affair. Jupiter transforms himself into a bull and transforms Io into a beautiful, white heifer in order to hide from Hera's wrath. Hera understands his strategy and demands the heifer as a present. To end their affair, Hera puts Io under the guard of the giant Argus Panoptes, who has 100 eyes. Jupiter commands his son Mercury (Hermes) to set Io free by lulling Argus to sleep with an enchanted flute. Mercury, disguised as a shepherd, is invited by Argus to his camp. Mercury charms him with lullabies and then cuts his head off. More on Mercury and Io

Johann Michael Rottmayr

Venus and Cupid at the Forge of Vulcan, c. 1690–1695

Oil on canvas

32 × 49 1/2 in. (81.3 × 125.2 cm)

Art Institute of Chicago

In the Aeneid, the Roman poet Virgil tells how Venus, the goddess of love, visits Vulcan's forge to obtain for her son Aeneas the invincible arms that only this god could make. In the foreground we see the recumbent Venus in a tender embrace with Cupid, hinting at the night of love that would be granted Vulcan in recompense. More on this painting

Rottmayr's lifelong friendship and collaboration with the architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach began in Salzburg. Rottmayr painted altarpieces and frescoes for most of Fischer's buildings in Salzburg—the Church of the Trinity (ca. 1702), the Church of the Hospital of St. John (1709), and the University Church (1721-1722)—as well as for the Residenz (1689, 1710-1714) and other secular and religious buildings in the city. The two men also collaborated at Frain Castle (Vranov) in Moravia (1695), creating, in the so-called Ancestral Hall, the first of their huge oval cupolas, where through painted illusionistic foreshortening and perspective the impression is given of seeing the open sky filled with mythological beings glorifying, in this case, the family of the owner. Rottmayr's early style, though very much like that of his master, Loth, is characterized by his own bright local color, massive forms, and strong movement.

Johann Franz Michael Rottmayr (Austrian, 1654--1730)

Cleopatra

Oil on canvas

105 x 82 cm (41.3 x 32.3 in)

Private collection

Cleopatra VII Philopator (69 – August 12, 30 BC), was the last active pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt, briefly survived as pharaoh by her son Caesarion. After her reign, Egypt became a province of the recently established Roman Empire.

Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a family of Macedonian Greek origin that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great's death. The Ptolemies spoke Greek throughout their dynasty, and refused to speak Egyptian, which is the reason that Greek as well as Egyptian languages were used on official court documents such as the Rosetta Stone. By contrast, Cleopatra did learn to speak Egyptian and represented herself as the reincarnation of the Egyptian goddess Isis.

Cleopatra originally ruled jointly with her father Ptolemy XII Auletes, and later with her brothers Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV, whom she married as per Egyptian custom, but eventually she became sole ruler. As pharaoh, she consummated a liaison with Julius Caesar that solidified her grip on the throne.

After Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, she aligned with Mark Antony in opposition to Caesar's legal heir Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (later known as Augustus). With Antony, she bore the twins Cleopatra Selene II and Alexander Helio. Antony committed suicide after losing the Battle of Actium to Octavian's forces, and Cleopatra followed suit. According to tradition, she killed herself by means of an asp bite on August 12, 30 BC. More on Cleopatra

Rottmayr moved to Vienna about 1699, where he continued to work with Fischer on such projects as Schönbrunn Palace (1700). But Rottmayr also began to receive other commissions, notably the fresco decoration of the Jesuit Church in Breslau (1704-1706) and of the Liechtenstein Summer Palace outside Vienna (1706-1707), as well as paintings for the Council Chamber of the Vienna City Hall (1712).

Johann Michael Rottmayr (1654 Laufen an der Salzach - 1730 Vienna)

Lamentation for Abel, c. 1692

Oil on canvas

191 × 127 cm

Austrian Gallery Belvedere

Cain and Abel were sons of Adam and Eve in the biblical Book of Genesis. Cain, the firstborn, was a farmer, and his brother Abel was a shepherd. The brothers made sacrifices to God, each of his own produce, but God favored Abel's sacrifice instead of Cain's. Cain then murdered Abel, whereupon God punished Cain to a life of wandering. Cain then dwelt in the land of Nod, where he built a city and fathered the line of descendants beginning with Enoch.

The narrative never explicitly states Cain's motive for murdering his brother, nor God's reason for rejecting Cain's sacrifice, nor details on the identity of Cain's wife. Some traditional interpretations consider Cain to be the originator of evil, violence, or greed. According to Genesis, Cain was the first human born and Abel was the first to die.  More on Cain and Abel

Attributed to Johann Michael Rottmayr

Job mocked by his wife

Oil on canvas

123 x 108 cm

Private collection

The painting depicts a scene from the Old Testament in which Job, a once rich and influential man who in a short space of time lost his children, his possessions and his health but not his piety, is being chided by his wife for maintaining his faith and urged to curse God and die.

Johann Michael Rottmayr  (1656–1730)

Susanna and the two old people

Oil on canvas

118 x 169 cm

Austrian Gallery Belvedere

A fair Hebrew wife named Susanna was falsely accused by lecherous voyeurs. As she bathes in her garden, having sent her attendants away, two lustful elders secretly observe the lovely Susanna. When she makes her way back to her house, they accost her, threatening to claim that she was meeting a young man in the garden unless she agrees to have sex with them.

She refuses to be blackmailed and is arrested and about to be put to death for promiscuity when a young man named Daniel interrupts the proceedings, shouting that the elders should be questioned to prevent the death of an innocent. After being separated, the two men are questioned about details of what they saw, but disagree about the tree under which Susanna supposedly met her lover. In the Greek text, the names of the trees cited by the elders form puns with the sentence given by Daniel. The first says they were under a mastic, and Daniel says that an angel stands ready to cuthim in two. The second says they were under an evergreen oak tree, and Daniel says that an angel stands ready to saw him in two. The great difference in size between a mastic and an oak makes the elders' lie plain to all the observers. The false accusers are put to death, and virtue triumphs. More about Susanna

Circle of Johann Franz Michael Rottmayr (Austrian, 1654–1730)

Suzanne and the Elders

Oil on canvas

76 x 96 cm. (29.9 x 37.8 in.)

Private collection

Johann Michael Rottmayr  (1656–1730)

The chaste Joseph and Potiphar's wife

Oil on canvas

101.5 x 132.5 cm

Private collection

Potiphar's wife is a minor character in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran. She was the wife of Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard in the time of Jacob and his twelve sons. According to the Book of Genesis, she falsely accused Joseph of attempted rape after he rejected her sexual advances, resulting in his imprisonment.

In Genesis she is given no name, but in later medieval Jewish sources and Islamic tradition, she is identified as Zuleikha. More on Joseph and Potiphar's wife

Johann Michael Rottmayr

Lot and His Daughters

Oil on canvas

45 by 38 in.; 114.3 by 96.5 cm.

Private collection

Lot and his two daughters, Genesis 19:30-38,  left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to give us children—as is the custom all over the earth. 32 Let’s get our father to drink wine and then sleep with him and preserve our family line through our father.”

 

That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.

 

The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I slept with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and sleep with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.

 

So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today. More on Lot and his two daughters

Trinity Sunday, which falls on the first Sunday after Pentecost, is one of the few feasts in the Christian calendar that celebrate a doctrine rather than an event.

In Vienna, Rottmayr's style became more fluid, with subtler, more ingratiating color and more harmonious compositions, suggesting the influence of the works of Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony Van Dyck available to him there; yet it retained the strong plasticity and dynamic movement of his early years. During the first 2 decades of the 18th century he was the leading painter of Vienna and the Hapsburg domains. Although he continued to work intermittently elsewhere in the Holy Roman Empire—Salzburg, Franconia, and Bohemia—his work from this time on was largely in Vienna and its environs. He decorated the interior of the church of the monastery of Melk with frescoes and altarpieces (1716-1722), and in the Karlskirche in Vienna, Fischer von Erlach's most famous creation, Rottmayr painted the Glorification of St. Charles Borromeo in the dome as well as the entire fresco decoration of the church (1725-1729). One of his last important commissions was the frescoes for the church of the monastery of Klosterneuburg outside Vienna (1729).

Johann Michael Rottmayr (Austrian, 1654-1730)

The Deposition from the Cross, ca. 1712

Oil on canvas

44 1/2 x 26 15/16 in. (113 x 68.5 cm)

Walters Art Museum

The Descent from the Cross, or Deposition of Christ, is the scene, as depicted in art, from the Gospels' accounts of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking Christ down from the cross after his crucifixion. In Byzantine art the topic became popular in the 9th century, and in the West from the 10th century. The Descent from the Cross is the 13th Station of the Cross.

 

Other figures not mentioned in the Gospels who are often included in depictions of this subject include St. John the Evangelist, who is sometimes depicted supporting a fainting Mary, and Mary Magdalene. The Gospels mention an undefined number of women as watching the crucifixion, including the Three Marys and Mary Salome.  More on Deposition of Christ

This oil sketch depicting Christ being taken down from the cross is a study for a larger canvas commissioned for a private chapel in the monastery of Kremsmünter in Austria. Rottmayr painted many altars and ceiling frescoes in churches throughout Austria. His extremely fluid brush strokes bind the composition together. Preliminary studies like this could be used to show a patron what the final altarpiece would look like before work was begun. They were increasingly appreciated as works of art and collected during the 18th century. More on this painting

Johann Michael Rottmayr (Laufen 1654-1730 Vienna)

The Lamentation

Oil on canvas

64 7/8 x 47 ¼ in. (164.8 x 119.8 cm.)

Private collection

The Lamentation of Christ is a very common subject in Christian art from the High Middle Ages to the Baroque. After Jesus was crucified, his body was removed from the cross and his friends mourned over his body. This event has been depicted by many different artists.

 

Lamentation works are very often included in cycles of the Life of Christ, and also form the subject of many individual works. One specific type of Lamentation depicts only Jesus' mother Mary cradling his body. These are known as Pietà (Italian for "pity") More on The Lamentation of Christ

Rottmayr, Johann Michael 1654-1730

Lamentation of Christ, c. 1692

Oil on canvas.

42.0 cm × 32.7 cm 

Salzburg, Residenzgalerie.

SHOWING: CHRIST, MARIA MAGDALENA (HEILIGE), MARY, MARY JACOBEA, ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST

Rottmayr, Johann Michael 1654-1730

Mary Magdalene

Oil on canvas

110 x 93 cm

Private collection

Mary Magdalene,  literally translated as Mary the Magdalene or Mary of Magdala, is a figure in Christianity who, according to the Bible, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers. She is said to have witnessed Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Within the four Gospels she is named more than most of the apostles. Based on texts of the early Christian era in the third century, it seems that her status as an “apostle" rivals even Peter's.

The Gospel of Luke says seven demons had gone out of her. She is most prominent in the narrative of the crucifixion of Jesus, at which she was present. She was also present two days later when, she was, either alone or as a member of a group of women, the first to testify to the resurrection of Jesus. John 20 and Mark 16:9 specifically name her as the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection.

During the Middle Ages, Mary Magdalene was regarded in Western Christianity as a repentant prostitute or promiscuous woman, claims not found in any of the four canonical gospels. More Mary Magdalene

Johann Michael Rottmayr, Laufen, 1654 – Vienna, 1730

The Apotheosis of Saint Charles Borromeo, c. 1681

Oil on canvas

w58 x h130 cm

The picture is an oil sketch for the altar painting of the eastern transept altar in the Collegiate Church in Salzburg – one of the most important of Rottmayr's later works. For the glorification of St Charles Borromeo, intercessor for plague sufferers, Rottmayr used the three-zone structure he had introduced. 

In attempts to ward off a plague epidemic in the town of Salzburg, processions were held and the Eucharist distributed, following the example of St Charles Borromeo in Milan. Readily recognisable motifs from Salzburg's landscape and architecture identify the location. Above, borne by angels, the saint hovers on a bank of cloud. His red cardinal's robe is rendered in an earthy shade, thus harmonising with the overall colouration of the painting. Borromeo turns trustingly towards Jesus, ruler of the world and leader of his armies. More on this painting

Johann Michael Rottmayr, Laufen, 1654 – Vienna, 1730

Saint Augustine with the Holy Trinity, ca. 1702

Oil on canvas

573 x 314 cm

Szépművészeti Múzeum 

The doctrine of the Trinity is the Christian belief that There is One God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Trinity is a controversial doctrine; many Christians admit they don't understand it, while many more Christians don't understand it but think they do.

In fact, although they'd be horrified to hear it, many Christians sometimes behave as if they believe in three Gods and at other times as if they believe in one. More on the Holy Trinity

A painter of great imagination, Rottmayr imbued his essentially idealized figures with a robust liveliness and naturalism of great appeal. His color, especially in his maturity, is often of enchanting beauty and refinement. The visionary effect of his ceiling paintings is sometimes reduced by the massiveness of his figures, but all are eminently effective in their swirling compositions.

Johann Franz Michael Rottmayr (Austrian, 1654–1730)

An allegory of transience/ Vanitas , before 1700

Oil on canvas

140 x 110 cm. (55.1 x 43.3 in.)

Private collection

A vanitas is a symbolic work of art showing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, often contrasting symbols of wealth and symbols of ephemerality and death. Vanitas pictures flourished in the seventeenth century when variants can be found in Protestant Holland and Catholic Flemish, Italian and Spanish territories. More on vanitas

Attributed to Johann Franz Michael Rottmayr (Austrian, 1654–1730)

Charity

Oil on Canvas

112.3 x 173.5 cm. (44.2 x 68.3 in.)

Private collection

Roman Charity is the exemplary story of a woman, Pero, who secretly breastfeeds her father, Cimon, after he is incarcerated and sentenced to death by starvation. She is found out by a jailer, but her act of selflessness impresses officials and wins her father's release.

The story is recorded by the ancient Roman historian Valerius Maximus, and was presented as a great act of filial piety and Roman honour. A painting in the Temple of Pietas depicted the scene. Among Romans, the theme had mythological echoes in Juno's breastfeeding of the adult Hercules, an Etruscan myth. More on Roman Charity

Circle Johann Michael Rottmayr

An Allegory of Charity

Oil on canvas

96.4 x 77.3cm 

Private collection

Rottmayr was ennobled in 1704 with the title "von Rosenbrunn." He died in Vienna on Oct. 28, 1730, almost literally with his brush in his hand. More on Johann Michael Rottmayr

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