The last performances of Salvator's pencil were a collection of
portraits of obnoxious persons in Rome--in other words, a series of
caricatures, by which he would have an opportunity of giving vent to his
satirical genius; but whilst he was engaged on his own portrait,
intending it as the concluding one of the series he was attacked with a
dropsy, which in the course of a few months brought him to the grave.

SALVATOR ROSA'S DESIRE TO BE CONSIDERED AN HISTORICAL PAINTER.

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.

DON MARIO GHIGI, HIS PHYSICIAN, AND SALVATOR ROSA.

(_From Lady Morgan's Life of Salvator Rosa._)

The princes of the family of Ghigi had been among the first of the
aristocratic virtuosi of Rome to acknowledge th