Young Mother Carrying an Infant 1656 - 1657

Salvator Rosa made this etching of a young mother and child sometime in the mid-17th century. The image provides a glimpse into the social fabric of Rosa's Italy. At the time, Italy was a collection of city-states, each with its own distinct culture and economy. Rosa, working primarily in Naples and Rome, would have been familiar with the lives of ordinary people. Here, he presents us with a mother and child in simple attire, conveying both the tenderness and the hardship inherent in their daily lives. We might consider how women and children of the working class were represented in art and literature during this period. Were they romanticized, ignored, or presented with a degree of social realism? To fully understand this etching, a historian might consult period documents, social histories, and records from charitable organizations. These resources could shed light on the realities of motherhood and childhood in 17th-century Italy, helping us to interpret Rosa's work in its proper social and institutional context.