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The Fall of the Giants

A work made of etching with drypoint in black on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of etching with drypoint in black on ivory laid paper.

Date:

1663

Artist:

Salvator Rosa
Italian, 1615-1673

About this artwork

Just as the Giants—Gaia’s offspring—attempt to storm the throne of the Olympian gods, Jupiter brings them crashing down with a thunderbolt. He can be seen at the top in the clouds. Salvator Rosa executed this colossal composition at the pinnacle of his etching career, and dedicated it to the Florentine poet Horatio Quaranta. Rosa’s pessimistic admonition appears at the bottom of the sheet: “They are raised up high that they may be hurled down in more terrible ruin.”
Multitalented with boundless energy, Rosa was also a poet, actor, musician, and painter. He made this print to promote his ideas for a painting of the same subject in hopes that a patron would sponsor its execution.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Salvator Rosa

Title

The Fall of the Giants

Place

Italy (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1663

Medium

Etching with drypoint in black on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

72.8 × 47.4 cm (28 11/16 × 18 11/16 in.)

Credit Line

Elizabeth Hammond Stickney Collection

Reference Number

1887.249

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/16/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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