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| Aniello Falcone A Concert ca. 1640 Prado |
Aniello Falcone (1607-1656) was born in Naples to a family of workers with no artistic affiliations. Overwhelming natural talent combined with good luck directed him to the studio of Jusepe de Ribera (1591-1652), the expatriot Spanish painter seen here yesterday who had already absorbed Roman fashions for high contrast, heavy shadows and suspended motion as popularized by Caravaggio.
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| Aniello Falcone Clash of infantry and cavalry 17th century Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo, Brescia |
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| Aniello Falcone Crusaders besieging Jerusalem 17th century Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo, Brescia |
Aniello Falcone is said to have invented "the battle picture without a hero" – a variation on the standard battle painting that stressed Baroque patterns of motion and energy rather than the valiant deeds of famous individuals. Particularly for Spanish clients he also followed the popular practice of reconstructing scenes from the Roman Empire with conspicuous displays of archaeological accuracy.
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| Aniello Falcone Roman Battle 17th century Prado |
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| Aniello Falcone Mounted Roman soldiers ca. 1640 Prado |
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| Aniello Falcone Roman athletes ca. 1640 Prado |
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| Aniello Falcone The Anchorite ca. 1650 Palazzo Barberini, Rome |
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| Aniello Falcone Figure study 17th century drawing Metropolitan Museum |
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| Aniello Falcone Figures Fighting 17th century drawing Morgan Library |
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| Aniello Falcone Deathbed Scene 17th century drawing Morgan Library |
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| Aniello Falcone Entombment 1640s drawing Cooper-Hewitt Museum |
There is only the sketchiest information available about the three Falcone battle pictures below. All were sold at auction within the last five years and all entered private collections for modest sums without attracting the attention of institutions.
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| Salvator Rosa Heroic Battle ca. 1652-64 Louvre |