{"id":3340,"date":"2017-12-01T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-01T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.perspectivejournal.dk\/girolamo-troppas-four-portraits-of-ancient-philosophers\/"},"modified":"2024-03-20T11:27:17","modified_gmt":"2024-03-20T10:27:17","slug":"girolamo-troppas-four-portraits-of-ancient-philosophers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.perspectivejournal.dk\/en\/girolamo-troppas-four-portraits-of-ancient-philosophers\/","title":{"rendered":"Girolamo Troppa\u2019s \u2018Four portraits of ancient philosophers\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eyes ablaze with inspiration: an idea takes shape while a pen is held poised above the open book. That is how the Italian painter Girolamo Troppa (1637 \u2013 circa 1710) depicted his poet-philosopher. [fig. 1]<\/strong> The fire and untamed ferocity of creativity is clearly conveyed by the fiery eyes and the tousled beard. The poet-philosopher leans across a book whose pages he is about to fill with great thoughts. The text of the book cannot be deciphered, except for a single line \u2013 the artist\u2019s signature.<\/p>\n

Troppa\u2019s poet-philosopher is one of a series of four paintings featuring half-length portraits of emotionally agitated men, enraptured by the forces of creative imagination or religious pathos. The paintings are nocturnal scenes in which the moonlight stands out as a bright nimbus around the dark clouds in a blue-black sky. The paintings were purchased for the Danish king Frederik III (reign 1648\u201372) as \u2018Four portraits of ancient philosophers\u2019 [4 Stykker af gamle Filosoffer, literally \u2018Four pieces showing old philosophers\u2019], but the museum\u2019s most recent printed catalogue identifies the four men as Homer, Virgil, John the Evangelist and Peter, disciple of Jesus.Italian Paintings and Sculpture in Denmark<\/em>. Munksgaard, Copenhagen 1961, p. 97. In Giancarlo Sestieri&rsquo;s 1994 monograph the painting also appears as an &lsquo;Apostolo Giovanni&rsquo; (Sestieri, Giancarlo.&nbsp;Repertorio Della Pittura Romana Della Fine Del Seicento E Del Settecento<\/em>. Allemandi, Torino 1994, vol. I, pp. 177-179, p. 178.)\n\">1<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0[figs. 2-4]<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Fig. 1. <\/strong>Girolamo Troppa (1630 \u2013 after 1710): Virgil<\/em>. Oil on canvas. 98 x 73 cm. The National Gallery of Denmark, inv. no. KMSst153.\u00a0public domain<\/a>,\u00a0SMK<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Fig. 2.<\/strong> Girolamo Troppa (1630 \u2013 after 1710): Homer<\/em>. Oil on canvas. 98 x 73 cm. The National Gallery of Denmark,\u00a0inv. no. KMSst139. public domain<\/a>,\u00a0SMK<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Fig. 3.<\/strong> Girolamo Troppa (1630 \u2013 after 1710): Saint John the Baptist<\/em>. Oil on canvas. 98 x 73 cm. The National Gallery of Denmark,\u00a0inv. no. KMS141. public domain<\/a>,\u00a0SMK<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Fig. 4.<\/strong> Girolamo Troppa (1630 \u2013 after 1710): Saint Peter Penitent<\/em>. Oil on canvas. 98 x 73 cm. The National Gallery of Denmark, inv. no. KMSst155. public domain<\/a>,\u00a0SMK<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Two questions and a hypothesis<\/h2>\n

Who are the four men? The objective of this article is to shed light on the various identities attributed to these figures through the ages. It also aims to discuss the raison d\u2019\u00eatre<\/em> of this series of paintings: do these two disparate pairs have anything to do with each other? Why bring together two ancient poets and two biblical figures in one series?<\/p>\n

The theoretical basis of this study is that of art historical hermeneutics, contextualising the paintings in terms of iconography and philosophy. The theory underpinning the study takes a dual approach: it sees the series as depicting two branches of human knowledge, Theology and Poetry, and it sees the series as visualising the Platonic concepts of prophetic and poetic inspiration. The article argues that Troppa gives visual form to divine inspiration in two versions, one mundane, one Christian. Before unpacking this in greater detail I shall process to outline the provenance of the series and the history of the research done on it.<\/p>\n

Acquisition and identifying the figures<\/h2>\n

The Norwegian-born architect and painter Lambert van Haven (1630\u201395) was sent on a Grand Tour and collecting expedition to Italy by the highly learned Danish king Frederik III.Fra Vore Museers Barndom – Kunstkammeret, Dets Stiftelse Og \u00e6ldste Historie<\/em>, 1897, p. 137; Olsen 1961, p. 97; Rom Og Danmark Gennem Tiderne<\/em>, Louis Bob\u00e9, ed., 1935; see especially Wilhelm Wanscher and Thorlasius Ussing, vol. I, 1935, pp. 104-106, 128-132; Vilh. Lorenzen: &lsquo;Lambert v. Haven &ndash; Christian V&#39;s Generalbygmester&rsquo;, in Meddelelser Fra Foreningen Til Gamle Bygningers Bevaring <\/em>3. R\u00e6kke 1. Prior, Copenhagen 1936, pp. 11-12.\n\">2<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Van Haven not only acquired paintings, but also books, rare objects for the royal Kunstkammer<\/em> and mathematical instruments intended to aid the construction of buildings and fortifications. His journey began in Copenhagen on 29 September 1668, and his first destination was Venice. Van Haven stayed in Venice from 8 December 1668 to 24 March 1669, and then set out for Rome via Bologna and Florence. He spent more than a year in Rome \u2013 residing there from 6 April 1669 to 15 June 1670. While in Rome Van Haven acquired many paintings, including the series under scrutiny here, a Mary Magdalene<\/em> (SMK, inv. no. KMSsp120) and a Jacob\u2019s Ladder <\/em>(SMK, inv. no. KMSst310) by Troppa.<\/p>\n

The series is mentioned in a single entry in the accounts of Rentekammeret [the Royal Treasury]: \u20184 st\u00f8cser aff gamble Philosopher, giort aff Girolamo Troppi \u2013 a: 15 scudi \u2013 er 60 scudi\u2019 [4 pieces of ancient philosophers, done by Girolamo Troppi \u2013 each: 15 scudi \u2013 total 60 scudi].th<\/sup> page in the folder (unpaged).\n\">3<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0[fig. 5] <\/strong>It is interesting to note that Van Haven identified the figures as philosophers. Even though this identification will prove to have been erroneous, it conveys interesting information about how philosophers were a much-lauded motif at the time. The ancient thinkers were \u2018Christianised\u2019 and regarded as model examples at a time when Neoplatonism and Neo-Stoicism were strong movements within the creative classes of the day. Renouncing material goods and seeking to cultivate the soul and the faculty of reason in meditative contemplation was regarded as the very acme of virtue.www.perspectivejournal.dk<\/a>. Published online August 2017; the concept is referred to on e.g. pp. 12&ndash;15 in the PDF version of the article.\n\">4<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

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Fig. 5.<\/strong> Lambert van Haven\u2019s travelling accounts, which list the series as \u20184 st\u00f8cher aff gamble Philosopher, giort aff Girolamo Troppi\u2019 (\u20184 portraits of ancient philosophers, done by Girolamo Troppi\u2019). The National Archives of Denmark, Danske Kancelli, Rentekammerafdelingen. Photo: author\u2019s own.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/h2>\n
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Fig. 6. <\/strong>Valentin Daniel Preisler (1717\u201365) after Girolamo Troppa: Saint Peter Penitent<\/em>. Mezzotint. 395 x 290 mm (plate size). The Royal Collection of Graphic Art, The National Gallery of Denmark, inv. no. KKSgb13766. public domain<\/a>,\u00a0SMK<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Fig. 7. <\/strong>Valentin Daniel Preisler (1717\u201365) after Girolamo Troppa: Vergil<\/em>. Mezzotint. 390 x 286 mm (plate size). The Royal Collection of Graphic Art, The National Gallery of Denmark, inv. no.\u00a0 KKSgb13767. public domain<\/a>,\u00a0SMK<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Fig. 8. <\/strong>Valentin Daniel Preisler (1717\u201365) after Girolamo Troppa: Homer<\/em>. Mezzotint. 390 x 290 mm (plate size). The Royal Collection of Graphic Art, The National Gallery of Denmark, inv. no. KKSgb13768. public domain<\/a>,\u00a0SMK<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 1690 Royal Danish Kunstkammer inventory describes the four paintings as follows: \u2018Painting of Saint John. \/ Ditto of Saint Peter. \/ Paintings of two poets, supposed to be Ovid and Horace. All painted in Italy.\u20195<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The next Kunstkammer inventory, from 1737, describes the figures as John the Baptist, Saint Peter and two ancient poets crowned with laurel wreaths.Det Kongelige Danske Kunstkammer 1737, The Royal Danish Kunstkammer 1737<\/em>, Nyt Nordisk Forlag, Copenhagen 1991, 642\/9, 642\/10, 642\/11-12: &lsquo;642\/9 St Johannes Baptista i over Menniskelig st\u00f8relse giort af Troppa og kommet til Kunstkammeret 1698; 642\/10 St. Peder i samme st\u00f8rrelse, og af samme Mester ligeledes tilkommen Ao 1698; 642\/11-12 Tvende gamle poeter af samme st\u00f8rrelse, ligeledes forferdiget af Troppa og tilkommen i Aaret 1698&rsquo; [&lsquo;642\/9 St John the Baptist, done larger than life by Troppa and arrived at Kunstkammeret 1698; 642\/10 Saint Peter, of similar size and done by the same master, also arrived anno 1698; 642\/11-12 Two old poets of similar size, also executed by Troppa and acquired in the year 1698&rsquo;].\n\">6<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0In 1752 and 1753 Saint Peter and the two laurel-crowned poets served as the models for mezzotints by Valentin Daniel Preisler (1717\u201365).Vergil<\/em>); 356,46 m (Homer<\/em>); Den angrende Peter<\/em> [The penitent Peter] inv. no. 356,46 e.\n\">7<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0[fig. 6-8] <\/strong>The three prints were part of a series of prints of selected paintings from the Kunstkammer. Preisler lists no titles that might serve to indicate the identities of the men. Charles Le Blanc\u2019s 1854 inventory of prints, Manuel De L’amateur D’estampes<\/em>, identifies the two poets as \u2018philosophers\u2019.Manuel De L&#39;amateur D&#39;estampes<\/em>, Jannet, Paris 1854). This is to say that KKS owns three out of these five prints.\n\">8<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The two figures are first identified as Homer and Virgil in the hand-written catalogue compiled by the painter and museum professional professor Johan Stroe (1805\u201365) to record the collection at Fredensborg Palace (1848), where the series had arrived in the 1820s after the dissolution of the Kunstkammer.9<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

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Fig. 9. <\/strong>Portrait of Homer<\/em>, after the Greek original from eight century BC. Plaster cast. 33 x 37 cm. The Royal Collection of Graphic Art, The National Gallery of Denmark, inv. no. KAS210. public domain<\/a>,\u00a0SMK<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stroe\u2019s keen eyes presumably spotted the dim, blind eyes that could only belong to Homer. Identifying the companion piece as a painting of Virgil seems natural because Virgil\u2019s writings represent a Roman equivalent or continuation of the Homeric literary tradition. Perhaps Stroe had also noticed the obvious physical similarities between the poet-philosopher appearing in Troppa\u2019s painting and a particular type of portraits of Homer dating back to Hellenic Greece. Appearing in several variants from the eight century B.C., this type depicts Homer as blind, somewhat stooped, with a narrow nose, eyebrows raised and a very wrinkled forehead. The Royal Cast Collection holds a plaster copy of one such marble bust.The Portraits of the Greeks<\/em> (revised by R.R.R. Smith), Phaidon, Oxford 1984 (1965, three volumes), pp. 147-150, figs. 107-108.\n\">10<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0[fig. 9]<\/strong><\/p>\n

As regards the identity of the two Biblical characters, the older, white-haired man is easily recognised as Peter, disciple of Jesus, because of the keys. The inventories and literature identifies the other Biblical character as, alternately, John the Baptist, Saint John the Apostle, Saint John the Evangelist or Saint Phillip.Homer and Virgil<\/strong>: Kunstkammerets inventar 1690<\/em>, p. 505: (Aar 1698) (642\/11-12) &lsquo;Tvende Poeters Skilderie som skal v\u00e6re Ovidius og Horatius. Alle Skildrede i Italien&rsquo; [Paintings of two poets, supposedly Ovid and Horace. All painted in Italy]. Fortegnelse over Kunstkammerets Malerier. Uddrag af de \u00e6ldre Inventarier Indtil 1737<\/em>. p. 74: (P. 642.), cat. nos. 11 and 12: &rdquo;Zwei alte gekr\u00f6nte Poeten selbiger Gr\u00f6szer, auch gemahlt von Troppa und zugekommen. Anno 1698.&rdquo;. In Stroe: Fredensborginv. 1848,<\/em> p. 26, cat. no. 139. &lsquo;Digteren Homer med graat Haar Skj\u00e6g og indhyllet i et violet Gevandt, l\u00f8fter, talende, sin h\u00f8ire Haand i Veiret og holder med den Venstre i den hos ham liggende Bog paa hvis ene Blad Kunstneren har skrevet: Girolamo Troppa. L\u00e6rred. 36 T.h. 27 T.br.&rsquo; [The poet Homer, grey-haired and beaded, swathed in purple robes, raises, while speaking, his right hand aloft, the left holding the book lying by him, on one page of which the artist has written: Girolamo Troppa. Canvas. H 36 inches, W 27 inches] Katalog over \u00e6ldre Malerier,<\/em> 1946, pp. 308-309: cat. no. 713. &lsquo;Homer. Brystbillede. Digtern, der hvidsk\u00e6gget og hyldet i en graa Kappe, vender Hovedet mod h. Han holder med v. Haand i en Bogs Blade og l\u00f8fter den h. Haand ligesom lyttende. I Baggrunden et m\u00f8rkt Landskab. Bet. Paa et af Bogens Blade: Girolamo Troppa. 98×72. K\u00f8bt i Venezia 1668.&rsquo; [Homer. Half-length. White-bearded and swathed in a grey robe, the poet turns his head to the r. His l. hand holds the pages of a book, his r. hand raised as if listening. In the background, a dark landscape. Inscription on one of the pages of the book: Girolamo Troppa. 98×72. Acquired in Venice 1668.]&nbsp; John the Baptist: <\/strong>Kunstkammerets inventar 1690<\/em>, p. 505, (Aar 1698) (642\/9) &lsquo;Sanct Johanns Skilderie&rsquo; [Portrait of Saint John]. Fortegnelse over Kunstkammerets Malerier. Uddrag af de \u00e6ldre Inventarier.Indtil 1737. <\/em>p. 74, (p. 642.): &lsquo;9. St. Johannes Babtista \u00fcber Lebensgr\u00f6sze gemahlet von Troppa und zu der K\u00f6nige Kunstkammer gekommen Anno 1698 (Brustst\u00fcck)&rsquo;. I. Stroe 1848, p. 26, cat. no. 141: &lsquo;Johannes i r\u00f8dt Gevandt peger ud med sin venstre Haand. I den H\u00f8ire holder han Vandrestaven. En Lysstraale fra Himlen lyser over hans Hoved. Samme Mester, St\u00f8rrelse og Materiale som nr. 139. (139. Girolamo Troppa. L\u00e6rred. 36 T.h. 27 T.br.)&rsquo; [John, robed in red, points out with his left hand. His right hand holds his staff. A beam of light from the Heavens shines above his head. Same master, size and materials as no. 139. (139. Girolamo Troppa. Canvas. H 36 inches, W 27 inches]. Katalog over \u00e6ldre Malerier<\/em>, 1946, p. 313, cat. no. 716. &lsquo;Apostlen Johannes. Halvfigur. Ikl\u00e6dt en r\u00f8d Kappe ser han opad mod h., hvorfra et Lys udstraaler over Himmelbaggrunden. Den v. Arm er l\u00f8ftet og peger mod v., den h. Haand holder en Stav. Bet. Paa Staven: Girolamo Troppa. 98×73. K\u00f8bt i Venezia 1668.&rsquo; [John the Apostle. Half-lenght. Clad in red robes, looking upwards towards the r., from which a light shines out across the heavens in the background. L. arm raised, pointing to the l., r. hand holding a staff. Inscription on staff: Girolamo Troppa. 98×73. Acquired in Venice 1668.] Saint Peter: <\/strong>Kunstkammerets inventar 1690<\/em>, p. 505, (Aar 1698) (642\/9): &lsquo;Sanct Johanns Skilderie. (642\/10) Sancte Peders detto.&rsquo; [&lsquo;Portrait of Saint John. (642\/10) Ditto of Saint Peter.&rsquo;] Fortegnelse over Kunstkammerets Malerier. Uddrag af de \u00e6ldre Inventarier. Indtil 1737<\/em>. p.74, (P. 642.), cat. no. 10: &lsquo;St. Petrus selbiger Gr\u00f6sze von selbigen Meister (9. St. Johannes). Auch zugekommen Anno 1698&rsquo;. I. Stroe 1848, p. 28: &lsquo;<\/em>Petrus med graat Skj\u00e6g og blaa Kappe hvorover der er kastet et guult Drapperi, seer andagtsfuld ud mod Himlen, foldende sine H\u00e6nder. N\u00f8glen, hans Attribut, sees ved Siden.&rsquo; [&lsquo;<\/em>[Peter, grey-bearded and robed in blue covered in yellow draperies, eyes raised piously towards the heavens, hands folded. The key, his attribute, by his side.] Katalog over \u00e6ldre Malerier, <\/em>1946, p. 313, cat. no. 715. &lsquo;Apostlen Peter. Halvfigur. Han er kl\u00e6dt i en gr\u00f8n og gulbrun Dragt, hvidsk\u00e6gget og ser opad. H\u00e6nderne holder han foldet foran sig. T.h. N\u00f8glerne&rsquo; [&lsquo;Saint Peter. Half-length. Wearing green and amber robes, white-bearded, gazing upwards. Hands folded in front. To the right, his keys&rsquo;].\n\">11<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Past research<\/h2>\n

If we turn first to the most recent research within the field, Francesco Petrucci mentions a range of paintings by Troppa in an article in Prospettiva<\/em> (2012), inscribing the artist among the Tenebrists of Rome from the second half of the seventeenth century.Prospettiva<\/em>, 146, Aprile 2012, pp. 88-102; SMK&rsquo;s paintings are mentioned on p. 90. Saint Hieronymus reproduced in fig. 1; Saint Paul reproduced in fig. 2. The term &lsquo;Tenebrism&rsquo; comes from the Latin &lsquo;tenebrae&rsquo; and the Italian &lsquo;tenebroso&rsquo;, meaning &lsquo;dark&rsquo;, and is used to describe a range of Baroque painters who employed the chiaroscuro effect.\n\">12<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Petrucci concurs with the identifications of Homer, Virgil and Saint Peter, but believes that the fourth figure is a depiction of Saint Phillip. Petrucci dates the paintings around 1665-68 and links them to two other half-length portraits by Troppa: Saint Jerome Reading<\/em>, which appeared on the art market in Rome in 2008, and Saint Paul<\/em>, housed at the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples.13<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Since the publication of Troppa\u2019s paintings in Harald Olsen\u2019s Italian Paintings and Sculpture in Denmark<\/em> from 1961, scholars have shown little interest in Troppa\u2019s paintings in the SMK collection.14<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

It is possible that other, similar series by Troppa\u2019s hand existed. \u00a0The art market recently saw the emergence of a penitent Saint Peter whose dimensions and iconography were very similar to SMK\u2019s paintings.15<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0A small version of Homer<\/em> painted on panel has also surfaced on the art market.16<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0This may be a preliminary work or sketch for the SMK painting, but it could also be a fully finished work of art in its own right.<\/p>\n

About the artist<\/h2>\n

Born in 1637 in the small village of Rocchette in the Sabine Hills of Lazio, Girolamo Troppa spent his youth in Rome. A wealth of commissions took him around Lazio, but also to Umbria, Ferrara and elsewhere. He is known to have resided in Rome from 1656 onwards, and the style evident in the works from his early career suggests that he was trained at the workshop of Pier Francesco Mola (1612\u201366).Bulletin du Mus\u00e9e Hongrois des Beaux-Arts<\/em>. Budapest 2007, pp. 115-130, p. 115.\n\">17<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0It would appear that the years 1668\u201369 were busy and prosperous for Troppa. In addition to the aforementioned six paintings bought by van Haven, we know from accounts that Troppa worked for cardinal Chigi at his Roman residence, Palazzo Odescalchi, in 1668.St<\/em>udi di Storia dell&#39;Arte in onore di Denis Mahon<\/em>. Maria Grazia Bernardini, Silvia Danesi Squarzina, Claudio Strinati (eds.), Electa, Milano 2000 pp. 305-312; Troppa&rsquo;s ceiling mural is reproduced in fig. 3, p. 308.\n\">18<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Here Troppa did a ceiling mural featuring Flora surrounded by putti, closely pursued by the cold spring wind, Zephyr, which according to Ovid was Flora\u2019s husband. That same year Troppa also did two religious paintings for the Church of Saint Joseph (San Giusepe) in Ferrara. Comparing all these works forms the outline of an artist greatly influenced by his master, Pier Francesco Mola.19<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0However, things are not quite that simple, for throughout his life Troppa remained a chameleon in the manner of his painting, capable of adapting and appropriating the style of another master.<\/p>\n

Troppa worked as a muralist, an easel painter and as a draughtsman, with the churches and the patrician families as his key patrons. In recent years art historians such as Erich Schleier, Zsuzsanna Dobos and Francesco Petruzzi have worked on establishing, confirming and refuting attributions, aiming to establish an oeuvre that appears, as yet, to be very comprehensive.Arte Christiana<\/em>, nos. 870, 871, 872, Maggio-Ottobre 2012, vol. C. pp. 85-96; regarding attributions and new insight into a range of drawings and paintings: Erich Schleier: &lsquo;Integrazioni e nuove proposte per Girolamo Troppa disegnatore e qualche aggiunta a Troppa pittore&rsquo;. In 2007 Zsuzsanna Dobos published a painting, Jacob&rsquo;s Ladder<\/em>, formerly at Mikl\u00f3s Sz\u00e9ch\u00e9nyi (Oradea, present-day Romania), as a replica of the SMK painting executed by the artist himself. Zsuzsanna Dobos: &lsquo;New Additions to the Art and Research of Girolamo Troppa&rsquo;, Bulletin du Mus\u00e9e Hongrois des Beaux-Arts<\/em>. Budapest 2007, nos. 106-107, r. 115-126. Regarding Jacob&rsquo;s Ladder<\/em>, r. 122, fig. 9; Dobos also mentions a third replica, in Muzeum Narodowe, Krakow.\n\">20<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Troppa’s colours<\/h2>\n

Troppa\u2019s \u2018Four Philosophers\u2019 are characterised by a restricted, harmonious palette comprising only a few colours. They also display a markedly sculptural approach to the draperies, one in which the individual folds accentuate the rhythm of the composition. Troppa was clearly partly bound by the iconography of the era as far as the colours of the garments are concerned. Having said that, it is striking to notice how each painting has its own harmonious palette even as the paintings taken as a whole display a sophisticated colourism in which the blue-black sky with the moonlit clouds establishes a common underlying motif. Similarly, the reddish-brown ground common to all four paintings also contributes to the sense of an overall unity. [fig. 10]\u00a0<\/strong>This general impression is strengthened by the local colour of the voluminous robes worn by the four figures: these colours share the same degree of saturation and tonal intensity, which also serves to connect and unite the series. Troppa seems to be oriented towards the particular mode of colour which the art theory literature of the age calls unione<\/em> \u2013 a harmonious unity of tone and colour, a fusion of all the component parts of the picture to form a congruent whole that still offers scope for those contrasts of light and shadow required by space-defining chiaroscuro<\/em>.Kunstgeschichte und Kunsttheorie<\/em>. Introduction, commentaries and list of terminology by Matteo Burioni &amp; Sabine Feser. Verlag Klaus Wagenbach Berlin, 2004, pp.199-204.\n\">21<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0[fig. 11-13]<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Fig. 10.<\/strong>\u00a0Girolamo Troppa (1630 \u2013 after 1710): Homer, detail of fig. 2. Troppa uses opaque layers and just a few tones of green in the wreath of leaves. The few highlights seen in the leaves have been applied in yellow, forming an impasto rim along the edge of the leaf. The wispy white hair on the scalp leaves the brown ground exposed, causing it to act as the shadow colour.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Fig. 11.<\/strong>\u00a0Girolamo Troppa (1630 \u2013 after 1710): Homer, detail of fig. 2. The impasto highlights on the leaves of the book have been applied along their edges; Troppa has accidentally brushed across the paint before it dried. The summary manner of painting is evident in the way in which the artist has used broad brushes to apply just a few brushstrokes in the shaded areas of the leaves.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Fig. 12.<\/strong>\u00a0Girolamo Troppa (1630 \u2013 after 1710): Virgil, detail of fig. 1. Troppa has scratched guide lines onto the page of the book while the white paint was still wet. Perhaps he turned his brush around, using the tip of its handle to scratch the paint. Once the white paint had dried he painted text onto the guide lines.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Fig. 13.<\/strong>\u00a0Girolamo Troppa (1630 \u2013 after 1710): Saint John the Baptist, detail of fig. 3. The white, moonlit cloud seen in the dark sky has been painted with lightning speed using just a few broad brushstrokes. At the very edge of the picture the artist has pushed and poked his brush into the canvas so that he did not create brushstrokes as such, but a splayed, mottled effect. According to conservator Loa Ludvigsen, the National Gallery of Denmark, the blue colour is in fact a black colour that turns black-blue when mixed with white.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saint Peter<\/h2>\n

Sheltered by an outcrop of rock, overlooking the restless sea, we see Saint Peter wringing his hands, eyes turned heavenwards \u2013 an iconography typical of this era\u2019s depictions of \u2018Saint Peter Penitent\u2019.Caravaggios Erben. Barock in Neapel<\/em>. Museum Wiesbaden 2016, p. 217, fig. 10.\n\">22<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The literary source of the scene appears in all four gospels of the New Testament, which give almost identical accounts of an episode from the Passion in which a fearful Peter betrays Christ three times in the gateway and courtyard of Pilate\u2019s house.23<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0When Peter realises that Jesus\u2019s prediction, \u2018this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times\u2019, has just come true, he cries tears of despair and repentance. The weeping Saint Peter was not just a model image of remorse and penitence within the Catholic church.Velazques<\/em>. Paris: R\u00e9union Des Mus\u00e9es Nationaux, Grand Palais Louvre Editions, 2015, pp. 144-149, cat. nos. 26, 27, 28.\n\">24<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0During the Danish Baroque era, particularly under the reign of Frederik III, the teachings of Lutheran orthodoxy were closely associated with the concept of \u2018p\u00f8nitense\u2019. The road to salvation was paved with penance and atonement, remorse and conversion.Rembrandt? <\/em>Mesteren Og Hans V\u00e6rksted<\/em>, Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen 2006, cat. 49, pp. 264-265.&nbsp;\n\">25<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Saint Philip or a Saint John?<\/h2>\n

The left hand of the figure points in the direction in which he is moving, while his eyes and face is directed backwards, towards rays of sacred light in the sky. The iconography of this figure is less firmly determined, as red robes of this kind could be worn by several different Biblical characters in the paintings executed around this time. The same holds true of the cross carried in the figure\u2019s right hand. Even so, it seems unlikely that the figure is a depiction of Saint Philip: the cross seems to be a reed cross, which points towards the iconography traditionally associated with John the Baptist.Carlo Dolci. Complete Catalogue of the Paintings<\/em>. Centro Di, Firenze, 2015, p. 174, cat. 78); another example is Bartolomeo Cavarozzi&rsquo;s painting from 1617-19, now at Toledo, Cabildo Catedral Primada, Kientz 2015, pp. 150-51, cat. 29.\n\">26<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Might Troppa\u2019s painting be a depiction of John the Evangelist? Given the absence of his traditional evangelist symbol, the eagle, this is unlikely. Might it then be the older evangelist John, who was exiled to the island of Patmos, where he wrote down his apocalyptic visions? This too is unlikely: he would be wearing a white cloak and the heavens would open to reveal a vision of the Virgin on a crescent moon.<\/p>\n

The Spanish painter-writer Francisco Pacheco (1564\u20131644), who was father-in-law to Diego Rodr\u00edguez de Silva y Vel\u00e1zquez (1599\u20131660), provides very accurate iconographic instructions in his art treatise El Arte de la Pintura<\/em> (1649).Arte De La Pintura. Su Antiguedad Y Grandezas&nbsp;<\/em>(posthumously published in 1649), published with an introduction by Bonaventura Bassegoda i Hugas. Catedra 1990.\n\">27<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Pacheco draws on Italian, Spanish and Latin sources for his detailed instructions on how artists should portray a given holy figure. His directions on how to correctly depict John the Baptist matches Troppa\u2019s portrayal well.28<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Pacheco writes in great detail about the iconography of John the Baptist.29<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0He should be portrayed as a man between 29 and 30 years of age, for that was when he found his calling and began to preach, i.e. the time when he left his parents behind in order to set out into the wilderness to live as an hermit. Alternatively he should be portrayed as a mature man, \u2018when the heavens noted him with remarkable splendour and he began to preach about the regime of the heavenly kingdom and the coming of our Saviour on the banks of the river Jordan\u2019.30<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0According to Pacheco there is nothing wrong with artists adorning their paintings of John the Baptist in the traditional manner by attiring him in a purplish cloak as a symbol of his glorious martyrdom.31<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Pacheco recommends that John the Baptist should be depicted with the cross-staff as his attribute, for just as Jesus was always aware of his impending martyrdom on the cross ever since childhood, so too was John the Baptist. Hence he always carried the cross with him, using it as an object of contemplation and meditation, Pacheco states.32<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Horace and Ovid or Homer and Virgil?<\/h2>\n

In his portrayal of the two poets, Troppa appears to have observed a commonplace iconography for depictions of poet-philosophers; an iconography whose written basis may be Horace\u2019s statements about the appearance of genius.33<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0In Ars Poetica<\/em> Horace states with thinly veiled satire: \u2018Because Democritus thinks natural talent (ingenium) is a greater blessing than wretched art and bans sane poets from Helicon, a good many don\u2019t bother to cut their nails or beards, but seek solitary places and avoid baths\u2019.Genius, the History of an Idea<\/em>. Basil Blackwell, Oxford 1989, p. 21.\n\">34<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Ever since antiquity, Homer has been regarded as the author of the two epic poems the Iliad <\/em>and the Odyssey<\/em>, the first of their kind in European literature. Troppa has painted the fabled Greek poet looking into the darkness with his famously blind eyes, their corneas dull and milky white. Struck by divine inspiration Homer raises up his right hand while his left hand maintains order in the pages of the book he has before him. The book is opened on a page where Troppa\u2019s signature can be read upside-down, pretending to be part of the book\u2019s contents. Homer wears a laurel wreath, as does Virgil. The laurels of glory, honour and eternal fame.<\/p>\n

Virgil\u2019s eyes are far more vibrantly alive. Whereas the face of Homer is in shadow, Virgil\u2019s is awash with light; a light that does not come from the sun, for the sky is quite dark. This is a metaphorical kind of light, visualising divine inspiration striking the writing poet. Troppa has signed the open book in this painting, too: the book in which Virgil is writing his epic work. An inkwell and an extra quill stands ready for use, and the poet elegantly brandishes another quill, poised to be put to paper and give expression to the furious energy of inspiration.<\/p>\n

The Roman poet Virgil, also known as Publius Vergilius Maro (70\u201319 BC), wrote the Aeneid<\/em>, whose form and plot takes its starting point in the Iliad <\/em>and the Odyssey<\/em>. Virgil worked on this epic throughout his life while living a secluded life in accordance with the philosophy of Epicurus (341\u2013270 BC). Unlike Homer\u2019s epic poetry, the Aeneid<\/em> is a national epos: the son of the Trojan hero Aeneas became the mythical ancestor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty (14\u201368 BC). During the Renaissance and the Baroque, Homer\u2019s and Virgil\u2019s epic classics constituted a pan-European frame of reference. Reading these epics were considered part of any fully rounded education.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fig. 14. <\/strong>Mochetti, Giuseppe (Italian engraver, active 1814-1905) after Raphael: Il Parnasso<\/em>. Etching. 399 x 525 mm (plate size). The Royal Collection of Graphic Art. The National Gallery of Denmark, inv. no. KKSgb13769, public domain<\/a>,\u00a0SMK<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Parnassus and Heaven<\/h2>\n

Seventeenth-century painting offers several examples of series depicting major poets, but series in which poets appear alongside Biblical characters do not appear to be common.Fetti<\/em>, 1990, pp. 266-269, cat. no. 120, 121; ditto, Domenico Fetti<\/em>, 1996, pp. 185-188, cat. no. 45). Regarding Homer, see Pigler: Barockthemen, <\/em>1974, p. 323f., which emphasises one particular type of portraits of Homer, in which a poet wearing a laurel wreath plays a stringed instrument while accompanied by a young assistant, such as Pier Francesco Mola&rsquo;s oft-repeated version, one of which is at the museum Dresden (inv. Gal.-No. 715), reproduced in Gem\u00e4ldegallerie Alte Meister Dresden. Illustriertes Gesamtverzeichnis<\/em>, 2005, p. 371, cat. no. 1212. Series of portraits depicting ancient and more recent philosophers and poets were not unusual in the various Kunstkammer<\/em>s of the period. For example, the Munich Kunstkammer included a series of twelve half-length portraits depicting Homer, Aristotele, Sappho, Pythagoras, Simonides, Virgil, Ovid, Cato, Plato, Petrarch, Boccaccio and Dante; see Dorothea Diemer:&nbsp;Die M\u00fcnchner Kunstkammer<\/em>. Verlag Der Bayerischen Akademie Der Wissenschaften in Kommission Beim Verlag C.H. Beck, Munich 2008. Print. Bayerische Akademie Der Wissenschaften, Philosophisch-Historische Klasse 129 Abhandlungen, Neue Folge, vol. 2, cat. 2928, p. 877 ff.\n\">35<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Who might have inspired Troppa, and why choose these particular pairings? One of the visual sources that may have been accessible to Troppa is Raphael\u2019s depiction of Homer and Virgil seen in the fresco The Parnassus<\/em> (1510\u201311) in the Stanza della Segnatura<\/em>. [fig. 14<\/strong>] Today, this room of frescoes by Raphael is part of the Vatican Museums, but it originally served as the private library of Pope Julius II.Raphael. From Urbino to Rome<\/em>, London 2004, p. 51.\n\">36<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The vaulted ceilings feature female allegorical figures of the four \u2018faculties of the spirit\u2019 which also served as the ordering principle of the library: Theology, Justice, Philosophy and Poetry. On the walls below, Raphael painted large figure compositions to illustrate these faculties. Standing side by side, Homer and Virgil are among the poets peopling The Parnassus<\/em>, where the natural centre of attention is Apollo surrounded by the muses. Where Homer and Virgil are representatives of Poetry, the penitent Saint Peter and Saint John the Baptist represent Theology. In Raphael\u2019s La Disputa<\/em> Saint Peter holds a prominent position in Heaven, where he is the first in the row of disciples. [fig. 15]<\/strong> Saint John the Baptist flanks the haloed Christ with the Virgin on the other side.<\/p>\n

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Fig. 15. <\/strong>Giorgio Ghisi (1520-1582) after Raphael: La Disput\u00e1<\/em>. Etching. 525 x ca. 847 mm (sheet measurement, two parts). The Royal Collection of Graphic Art, The National Gallery of Denmark, inv. no.\u00a0 KKSgb13770. public domain<\/a>,\u00a0SMK<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Fig. 16. <\/strong>Giuseppe Ribera (1591-1652): Le Po\u00e8te<\/em>. 1620-21. Etching. 160 x 125 mm (cropped, sheet measurements). The Royal Collection of Graphic Art, The National Gallery of Denmark, inv. no. KKSgb1083. public domain<\/a>,\u00a0SMK<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Visual sources<\/h2>\n

Ancient philosophers and Biblical figures were common motifs in mid-seventeenth-century art.L&rsquo;Age d&rsquo;Or de la Peinture \u00e0 Naples<\/em>, 2015, cat. no. 22, p. 130). Ribera painted his first paintings of Greek philosophers in Rome in 1613&ndash;16 &ndash; they have been described as &lsquo;portraits de la pens\u00e9e&rsquo; (ibid.). But Ribera supposedly did this &lsquo;Plato&rsquo; for the Spanish viceroy in Naples, the duke of Alcala, in 1630. The painting was, as far we know, part of a series that also included a laughing Democritus (Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado) and a Philosoph au compas<\/em> at the museum of the University of Arizona, Tuscon. One might also mention Mola&rsquo;s Poeta<\/em> in the Galleria Palatina, Florence (ill. in Mario Epifani in, Salvator Rosa e il suo tempo 1615-1673,<\/em> 2010, p. 225, fig. 4); or Salvator Rosa&rsquo;s self-portrait from circa 1645, now in Strasbourg, Mus\u00e9e des Beaux-Arts, (inv. no. 44.987.3.7. ill. cat. no. 27, p. 139, in: L&rsquo;Age d&rsquo;Or de la Peinture \u00e0 Naples<\/em> 2015).\n\">37<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Around this time, Rome was infused by Neo-Stoic thinking, and painters created idealised portraits of philosophers and epic narratives about the lives of ancient thinkers.Salvatore Rosa e il suo tempo<\/em>, 2010, p. 222.\n\">38<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Painters such as Salvator Rosa, Poussin, Pietro Testa, Il Grechetto, Pier Francesco Mola and Domenico Fetti are examples of this. The concept of virt\u00fa (virtue) and moral-ethical integrity were central themes. These artists point back to the works of other artists, especially Giuseppe Ribera\u2019s exemplary portraits of philosophers, which they would have been able to see in Naples and which were also disseminated via copies and Ribera\u2019s pupils.L&rsquo;Age d&rsquo;or de la Peinture \u00e0 Naples<\/em>, 2015, cat. 13-14, p. 112 (ill.). In the apostolates Peter is not portrayed as a penitent sinner, but has a firm grasp of the keys, his attribute as the first priest of the church.\n\">39<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0In addition to Rome and Naples, the centres for Neo-Stoic motifs also included Venice and Genoa.Storia dell&rsquo;arte<\/em>, 57 (1986), p. 103-181; a follow-up on Ferrari&rsquo;s study can be found in the exhibition catalogue Les curieux philosophes de Vel\u00e1zquez et de Ribera<\/em>, M\u00fasee des Beaux-Arts, Rouen 2005-06; Lyon 2005.\n\">40<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Giuseppe Ribera\u2019s (1591\u20131652) Le Po\u00e8te<\/em>, an etching from 1620\u201321, may also have inspired Troppa.The Illustrated Bartsch<\/em>, vol. 44 (20), p. 278, cat. 10 (83), here called The Poet Laureate<\/em>. The print measures 154\/160 x 124\/125 mm. inv. no. in the Royal Collection of Graphic Art: inv.no. KKSgb1083, placeringsnr. 60,8. The drawing in the Royal Collection of Graphic Art has been attributed to Ribera in Fischer\/Meyer, but has previously been associated with e.g. Salvator Rosa (see Mahony 1977, The Drawings of Salvator Rosa<\/em>, Vol. 1, p. 301 and p. 312, cat. 25.21.\n\">41<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0[fig. 16<\/strong>] Troppa\u2019s master, Pier Francesco Mola, is believed to be the creator behind a painting in Galleria Palatina in Florence featuring a poet that also shares many traits with Ribera\u2019s print.Salvator Rosa e il suo tempo 1615-1673<\/em>, pp. 219-234, p. 225, fig. 4.\n\">42<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The Royal Collection of Graphic Art at SMK is home to yet another depiction of a poet-philosopher that includes a small genius handing the main figure his pen and inkwell. [fig. 17]<\/strong> Being a copy after a drawing by Ribera, this picture demonstrates how inventions might not only be disseminated via engravings, but also via other artists\u2019 collections of copies.43<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Fig. 17. <\/strong>Giuseppe Ribera, copy after A laurelled poet seated beneath a tree<\/em>. Drawing in pen, brown ink and greyish brown wash. 256 x 201 mm. The Royal Collection of Graphic Art, The National Gallery of Denmark, inv. no. KKSgb7069, public domain<\/a>,\u00a0SMK<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among the artists that Troppa learned from we find Salvator Rosa (1615\u201373). At this time Rosa lived in Rome, and he too worked with the subject of philosophers in his art.Democritus in Meditation <\/em>and Diogenes Throwing Away his Bowl, <\/em>see Pedersen 2017.\n\">44<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0His chief ambition as a painter was to create sublime art and paint sublime motifs. What, then, did Rosa regard as sublime motifs? They might include ancient philosophers such as Democritus, Diogenes or Plato, but also Christian hermits and Church Fathers such as Hieronymus and Augustin \u2013 characters who would, for certain periods of time, seek out a solitary existence where virtues such as persistence, self-restraint, asceticism and the concept of doing one\u2019s duty in the world were prime concerns. The objective was to achieve a sense of inner freedom and balance of mind and body. Hermits, Church Fathers engaging in self-imposed meditation or holy figures seeking penance and forgiveness for their trespasses were popular motifs at the time.45<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

All of these examples show the poet-philosopher as a pensive figure weighed down by a melancholy frame of mind. Troppa\u2019s poet-philosophers are different \u2013 they see the light. They have just been struck by a brilliant idea! In Troppa\u2019s work, poetic inspiration \u2013 the bright, enrapturing flame of creativity \u2013 has been made the main theme.<\/p>\n

Fiery inspiration<\/h2>\n

Raphael\u2019s Parnassus<\/em> shows Apollo and the muses as the centre of a group that includes Homer, Virgil and a range of other poets from the past and from Raphael\u2019s own time. In Greek mythology, the all-knowing and omnipresent muses are the goddesses of inspiration; patron deities of music, poetry, art and science and of those who practice these crafts. They resided on Mount Helicon and on Parnassus at Delphi, and their mother was Mnemosyne, goddess of memory. Their particular dual gift to poets was that of granting moments of inspiration while also providing them with the prophet\u2019s intuitive, lasting insight into past and present; the special trait that enabled the most gifted, such as Homer, to recollect a loftier, ideal world, thereby reaching sublime heights in his art. Genius. The History of an Idea<\/em>. Basil Blackwell, Oxford 1989, pp. 9-11. On the concept of furore poeticus<\/em> and its link to theories about the sublime, see ditto pp. 9-31 and pp. 32-54.\n\">46<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

We need to go all the way back to the pre-Socratic philosophers to trace the origins of the concept of \u2018divine inspiration\u2019. Democritus invented the designation, describing it as a form of \u2018enthusiasm\u2019.47<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Plato adopted the concept, evolving it into a \u2018poetic possession\u2019 or \u2018poetic madness\u2019. In the dialogue Phaidrus<\/em>, Plato has Socrates say that only he who writes poetry while \u2018not in his right mind\u2019, meaning in the throes of a madness inspired by the gods, can create sublime art.Faidros<\/em>, 245a.\n\">48<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0According to Plato, four forms of divine madness exist: prophetic ecstasy, sent by Apollo; ritual madness, sent by Dionysus; poetic madness, imparted by the muses; and erotic madness, caused by Aphrodite and Eros.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fig. 18. <\/strong>Cesare Ripa: Furor Poetico<\/em>, from the publication Iconologia<\/em>. Rome 1603. Photo: author\u2019s own.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the early dialogue Ion<\/em>, Plato states that the good poet, whether epic or lyric, does not create great art simply by virtue of their professional skill, but as the result of musical inspiration and ecstatic divine possession.Ion<\/em>, 533e-534e.\n\">49<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0This image persisted throughout Plato\u2019s writings. In his late dialogue Laws <\/em>he states that when a poet is inspired by the muse he is not in his right mind, but like a fountain that allows everything that comes into his head to flow out freely.The Laws<\/em>,&nbsp;719c.\n\">50<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Plato sees the poet as someone who creates art in a rush of inspiration, out of the blue, without deliberation or awareness of what he is doing. The flames of inspiration are borrowed for a brief time only, and on the gods\u2019 sufferance.<\/p>\n

Perhaps Troppa had this state of Platonic furor poetico<\/em> in mind when conceiving the idea for his poet-philosophers. Troppa depicts the blind and seeing poet equally lit up by the fires of divine inspiration. Perhaps Troppa did not know Plato\u2019s work directly, but that is of no matter, for Plato\u2019s thoughts permeated the art theory writings of the Renaissance and the Baroque. One might, for example, point to Vasari\u2019s mention of Michelangelo in Le Vite<\/em>, where concepts such as terribilit\u00e0<\/em> and furore<\/em> are brought into play.Las vidas de los mas excelentes arquitectos, pintores y escultores italianos desde Cimabue a nuestros tiempos (Antologia)<\/em>. Annotated and translated by Maria Teresa M\u00e9ndez Baiges and J. Maria M. Garcia. Editorial Tecnos 2006, p. 31.\n\">51<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Or one might look at how the idea of Platonic Furor Poetico<\/em> was visualised in Cesare Ripa\u2019s Iconologia<\/em> \u2013 a book that Troppa certainly knew. [fig. 18]<\/strong> Cesare Ripa\u2019s personification of poetic inspiration is shown in the act of writing, his gaze directed to the heavens. He wears red robes and a laurel wreath, symbolising the flame of inspiration and eternal fame.Iconologia<\/em>. With an introduction by Erna Mandowsky. Georg Olms Verlag, Hildesheim, New York. Photographic facsimile of the Rome 1603 edition &lsquo;Furor Poetico&rsquo;, pp. 178-179.&nbsp;\n\">52<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Troppa\u2019s \u20184 portraits of ancient philosophers\u2019, Homer<\/em>, Virgil<\/em>, Saint John the Baptist <\/em>and Saint Peter Penitent, <\/em>can be regarded as the chief representatives of the \u2018faculties of the spirit\u2019 Theology and Poetry and as visualisations of divine inspiration in Christian and \u2018Christianised\u2019 ancient versions. With his four figures, full of pathos, Troppa has visualised the Platonic concepts of prophetic and poetic inspiration.\u00a0\u00a0\u25a2<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Post scriptum: The author wishes to gratefully acknowledge the Novo Nordisk Foundation for its support in the form of a research grant that rendered this work possible. <\/em><\/p>\n

The to image is a detail of Girolamo Troppa: Vergil, The National Gallery of Denmark,\u00a0see fig. 1.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can Girolamo Troppa\u2019s series be regarded as a visualisation of divine inspiration? And who are the four \u2018philosophers\u2019? The article discusses these questions, but also considers Troppa as a colourist and as a virtuoso painter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3197,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[46],"class_list":["post-3340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-european-baroque"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGirolamo Troppa\u2019s \u2018Four portraits of ancient philosophers\u2019 - Perspective<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.perspectivejournal.dk\/en\/girolamo-troppas-four-portraits-of-ancient-philosophers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Girolamo Troppa\u2019s \u2018Four portraits of ancient philosophers\u2019 - Perspective\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Can Girolamo Troppa\u2019s series be regarded as a visualisation of divine inspiration? And who are the four \u2018philosophers\u2019? 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