SUPERB RARE ORIGINAL SALVATOR ROSA PAINTING circa 1650: "BRIGANDS LYING IN WAIT"

NEWLY DISCOVERD ORIGINAL ROSAwith Expert Appraisal Salvator Rosa was one of the most iconoclastic painters of the 17th Century in addition to being a poet and actor. He was a flamboyant rebel like Caravaggio whose religious paintings were considered blasphemous by the established order but Rosa's art went far beyond the confines of religion. He is best known for extravagant yet brooding, melancholic landscapes awash in ruins and brigands, often dwarfed by the vastness of nature. Here is just such a Rosa landscape, created around 1650. It depicts a band of thieves gathered in a shadowy grotto or gorge, awaiting their quarry alongside the only means of passage. Two are engaged in conversation while one cleans his musket and the others lounge about, oblivious to the grandeur of the pink clouds silhouetting the rocky arch high above. Their evil intent seems incidental to the natural splendor surrounding them. This is the first public offering of this rare and engrossing Rosa, which remains in excellent condition with but a few negligible edge scuffs (aka "skins"). Needs only a beautiful antique frame to become the showpiece of your collection! Approx. 24" x 30" May be inspected and picked up in Brooklyn, New York. Selling for 2013 Appraised Value (Appraisal included in sale). It's worth much more now due to the surge in the value of Old Master paintings!