Print, 'St William of Maleval', Salvator Rosa, Rome, 1661

A man in armour lies on a rock, his hands tied on a tree, while contemplating crucifix tucked in between upper branches.

Townshend Bequest

Bequesthed by the Rev.Townshend in 1869.

Historical significance: Although none of Salvator Rosa's etchings are dated, this etching is traditionally ascribed to a date around 1661. It is a fine example from Rosa's large output of prints and shows a rarely-depicted episode inspired by the medieval Tuscan history: the life of Albert, companion and disciple of Saint William of Maleval, a Tuscan penitent of the 12th century, who withdrew in an especially horrid valley of Siena where he died in 1557. The armour relates to the early life of the saint, which was believed to have been a licentious soldier. This print and its companion piece, St Albert (E.1301-1900) are unique in Rosa's production of larger prints as they present a non classical subject matter.
The isolated figure in the wilderness is a recurrent thematic in Rosa's oeuvre, which echoes his personal attraction for the pessimist views of the Cynics, a philosophical movement from the ancient Greece, founded by Antisthenes, a pupil of Socrates, who were marked by an ostentatious contempt for society. The most famous was Diogenes, to whom Rosa dedicated one of his larger etchings.
A copy of the print in reverse was published by Johann Jakob von Sandrart (1685-1698) and another by Jeremiah Wolff (ca. 1663/73-1724) while another copy in the same direction was published by Carlo Antonini in 1780.
A painted version, probably derived from the present composition, however less detailed, is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna while another painting showing a hermit in the same position is most likely derived from the same composition but doubtfully by Rosa himself (Salerno, no. 172).
The original plate is preserved at the Calcografia Nazionale in Rome (Inv. 7471).

Salvator Rosa (1615-1673) was born in Arenella near Naples and soon absorbed the energy and violence informing Neapolitan art, characteristics which would be apparent throughout his career. Rosa was a prolific etcher but he also produced drawings and paintings. He particularly favoured subjects taken from little known and enigmatic sources, such as in the present case. Saint William of Maleval, a Tuscan penitent of the 12th century, who withdrew in an especially horrid valley of Siena where he died in 1557.

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