1823.] 



Florence, where he was received with 

 every mark of khuliicss and distinc- 

 tion from his new jjatron, and the first 

 artists of the place. Here he devoted 

 himself with more earnestness to his 

 profession than at Rome, and produced 

 some of those fine pictures, upon 

 whieii his fame as a great painter 

 chiefly rests. Of some of these he 

 has left us etcliings of his own, parti- 

 cularly an excellent one of his Dio- 

 genes and Deniocritiis, which, with a 

 few of his last landscapes, every where 

 obtained for him distinguishid regard. 

 His merits as a poet seem here, also, 

 to have been lirst acknowledged, while 

 his conversation;d vivacity, and ta- 

 lents at once combining mimicry, re- 

 partee, and real w it, brought around 

 hira the best company, as w ell of fo- 

 reigners as of the nobility of Florence. 

 His residence, as at Rome, was 

 sought by the most distinguished cha- 

 racters in literature and the arts, as 

 well as being open to the jounger 

 and more needy. His leisure hours 

 were cliicfly passed in such society as 

 tlic humourous Berni, the inimitable 

 jnodernizer and sly parodist of Orlando 

 Innamorato, the great Carlo Dali, 

 Cardinal Bandinelli, aud Pietro Sal- 

 vetti, distinguished for his ready poe- 

 tical vein, and universal knowledge of 

 literature. 



Such a rich knot of choice spirits 

 had gathered round him, that he pro- 

 posed in his own defence, and in the 

 manner of the age, to elect them into 

 an academy, with a clause attached 

 to the academical laws, binding thorn, 

 at certain periods, to entertain the no- 

 bility and fellow-citizens with theatri- 

 cal amusements, both tragedy and 

 comedy, as they pleased ; in any thing 

 but the last of which he was ready to 

 assist them. This really took place ; 

 and Salvator opened the subscription 

 lor a convivial fund, with which they 

 gave many entertainments, and par- 

 ties of wit and pleasure, though 

 always with a due seasoning of literary 

 taste, and the cultivation of talent. 



The emoluments of his art were 

 more than equal to such demands, 

 and set him completely above the 

 fears of former needy days, of weeks, 

 of months, and even of some years. 

 He might well consider Florence as 

 *' the scat of art ;" as, far from being 

 impoverished by his visit, he found 

 himself, on taking leave, in possession 

 of .3000 crowns. 



Having remained at Florence about 



Satvafor Rosa. 



23 



nine year;^, Salvator left that place; 

 and, on the invitation of his friends 

 Ugo and Guilio IVlaflei, went to Vol- 

 terra, where he had before paid them 

 a visit, and been highly gratiOed with 

 his entertainment. Salvator now ac- 

 companied his liberal hosts to their 

 ditt'erent country-residences, where he 

 employed his time in painting, in com- 

 posing his poetical works, in tlie so- 

 cietj' of several persons of wit and 

 learning who frecpienled the house of 

 the Matfei ; and in hawking, and other 

 rural diversions. The time of dinner 

 passed with the greatest degree of hi- 

 larity and merriment; for, though 

 Salvator had great fire and vivacity in 

 his repartees, and dealt round his wit 

 with extreme freedom, ho was not 

 often deficient either in good temper 

 or politeness. 



In this delightful situation he .spent 

 three years, during which time he 

 composed the greatest part of his sa- 

 tires, and painted several pictures, 

 both in public buildings and for indi- 

 viduals. On having Volterra, Sal- 

 vator returned once more to RonK\ 

 not without being greiitly regretted by 

 the friends he left, many of whom 

 sought to continue that intercourse 

 with him by letters which they could 

 not longer enjoy in his conversation. 



The multitude of pictures which 

 Salvator painted after iiis return to 

 Rome, bafiles the diligence of his con- 

 temporary historians to enumerate. A 

 considerable numlier were painted for 

 Carlo Rossi, who furnished an entire 

 gallery with his works. To the same 

 person, under the name of Carolus 

 Rubens, Salvator has dedicated his 

 etchings of Banditti. 



In the year 1G72, the health of this 

 singular artist began to decline; and, 

 notwithstanding the efforts of medi- 

 cine, and the care of his friends, his 

 disorder continued to increase, till it 

 Settled in a dropsy, which carried him 

 olf on the 15th of March, 1673. His 

 wit and vivacity did not altogether 

 forsake him during his illness. 



At Florence he had contracted an 

 intimacy with a lady of the name of 

 Lucretia, who accompanied him to, 

 and resided with him at, Rome ; and 

 by whom ho had two children. A 

 short time before his death he was in- 

 duced, on the representation of his 

 friends, and from an apprehension of 

 futurity, to marry her, though other- 

 wise reluctant ; having, as it is said, 

 some reason to doubt her fidelity. On 



