May 1, 2025
Astraea Leaving the Earth
Artist: Salvator Rosa (Italian, 1615-1673)
Date: ca. 1665
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Austria
Description
According to the Roman poet Virgil, Astraea, the goddess of justice, is the last of the gods to leave the corrupted earth at the end of the Iron Age, the age of complete decay of culture and morals. She leaves her attributes, the fasces (bundle of rods) and scales, to the just and peaceful peasants. This characteristically Baroque mixture of literature and symbolism expressed both pessimism and hope for renewal. Since ancient times, the simplicity of peasant life has been seen as a herald of this hope for happy, golden times.
#literary theme#artwork#landscape#roman poetry#poet virgil#astrea poem#virgil's astrea#goddess of justice#bundle of rods#scales#peasants#baroque style#literature#symbolism#blue horizon#white clouds#literary scene#men#women#costume#gown#drapery#painting#oil on canvas#fine art#oil painting#italian culture#italian art#salvator rosa#italian painter