Cavalry Battle between Turks and Christians

1650 · Private collection

historical

Falcone was a specialist in battle pieces (he painted at least forty pieces), but battle scenes only make up part of his corpus, which also comprised figural compositions, some with touches of harsh realism. His true originality in battle scenes lies in this balance between spirited ardour and suspended action.

Cavalry Battle between Turks and Christians

About the Artist

Aniello Falcone

1607 – 1656

Neapolitan painter. He was one of the most prominent artists in Naples in the generation before the plague of 1656 (in which he died), and did religious paintings, some in fresco, for several churches in the city. His only complete surviving fresco cycle, however, is the History of Moses in the Villa Roomer at Barra, and he is now remembered mainly as the first specialist in battle pieces, a genre that won him an international reputation and in which he inspired his pupil Salvator Rosa. Falcone was also an outstanding draughtsman.

View all works →