The departure of Salvator Rosa from Rome was an escape: his arrival in
Florence was a triumph. The Grand Duke and the princes of his house
received him, not as an hireling, but as one whose genius placed him
beyond the possibility of dependence. An annual income was assigned to
him during his residence in Florence, in the service of the court,
besides a stipulated price for each of his pictures: and he was left
perfectly unconstrained and at liberty to paint for whom he pleased.