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Polycrates' Crucifixion

A work made of oil on canvas.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of oil on canvas.

Date:

1664

Artist:

Salvator Rosa (Italian, 1615–1673)

About this artwork

A native of Naples, Salvator Rosa settled in Rome in 1649, producing dramatic works regarded as counterparts to the calm, classical landscapes of his contemporaries Claude Lorrain and Nicolas Poussin. Rosa’s landscapes present nature as wild, filled with striking effects of light, jagged cliffs, and dark grottoes. These qualities underline the eerie mood in his depiction of the death of Polycrates, ruler of the Greek island of Samos. Together with its companion piece Polycrates and the Fisherman, it illustrates the king’s inability to escape the ups and downs of fortune to which all humans are subject.

Status

On View, Gallery 209

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Salvator Rosa

Title

Polycrates' Crucifixion

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.

1664

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

73.4 × 98.9 cm (28 7/8 × 38 15/16 in.); Framed: 87 × 112.4 × 7 cm (34 1/4 × 44 1/4 × 2 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Wentworth Greene Field Memorial Fund

Reference Number

1942.292

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.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/44829/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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