On May 1606 Caravaggio was accused of murder and fled from Rome to distant lands (Naples, Sicily, Malta) to escape the price that had been placed on his head. His self-portrait as Goliath’s severed head, held by David his executioner, was sent to the papal court in 1610 as a kind of painted petition for… Continue reading David with the Head of Goliath
Tag: 1600
Allegory of Tulipomania
Monkeys in contemporary 17th century Dutch dress are shown dealing in tulips. A satirical commentary on speculators during the time of “Tulip Mania”, an economic bubble that centered around rare tulip bulbs. At left, one monkey points to flowering tulips while another holds up a tulip and a moneybag. Bulbs are weighed, money is counted,… Continue reading Allegory of Tulipomania
Flora’s Wagon of Fools
The flower goddess Flora, with tulips in her hand, is enthroned on a triumphal chariot, here represented as a carnival cart. She is accompanied by three men in fool’s caps. ‘Tosspot’ cannot resist drink, ‘Wealthwill’ clutches a bag of gold, and ‘Lie-all’ exercises his smooth tongue. Mistress ‘Rake-it-in’ weighs her money, and the bird of… Continue reading Flora’s Wagon of Fools