Salvator Rosa's greatest talent lay in landscape painting, a branch
which he affected to despise, as he was ambitious of being called an
historical painter. Hence he called his wild scenes, with small figures
merely accessory, historical paintings, and was offended if others
called them landscapes. Pascoli relates that Prince Francisco Ximenes,
soon after his arrival at Rome, in the midst of the honors paid him,
found time to visit the studio of Salvator Rosa, who showed him into his
gallery. The Prince frankly said, "I have come, Signor Rosa, for the
purpose of seeing and purchasing some of those beautiful landscapes,
whose subjects and manner have delighted me in many foreign
collections."--"Be it known then, to your excellency," interrupted
Salvator impetuously, "that I know nothing of _landscape_ painting.
Something indeed I do know of painting figures and historical subjects,
which I strive to exhibit to such eminent judges as yourself, in order
that, _once for all_, I may banish from the public mind that _fantastic
humor_ of supposing I am a landscape and not an historical painter." At
another time, a very rich (_ricchissimo_) Cardinal called on Salvator to
purchase some of his pictures As he walked up and down the gallery, he
paused before the landscapes, but only glanced at the historical
subjects, while Salvator muttered from time to time, "_sempre, sempre,
paesi piccoli_," (always, always, some little landscape.) When, at
length, the Cardinal carelessly glanced his eye over one of Salvator's
great historical pictures, and asked the price, as a sort of
introduction, the painter bellowed out, _un milione_; his Eminence,
justly offended, made an unceremonious retreat without making his
intended purchases, and returned no more.