Ronde toren aan een haven 1640s - 1650s

Salvator Rosa made this drawing, ‘Round Tower in a Harbour’, using pen in the 17th century. Rosa lived during a period of immense social and political upheaval, including the Thirty Years' War and the rise of absolutist monarchies, which deeply influenced his artistic vision. In this small artwork, we see Rosa’s interest in the sublime and the precarious nature of human existence reflected in his choice of subject matter: a solitary, decaying tower amidst the vastness of nature. Rosa challenges the traditional heroic landscapes of his time. He invites us to contemplate our place within a world shaped by the passage of time. As we look at the delicate lines of the drawing, we can almost feel the weight of history pressing down on the landscape. The artwork suggests that even the most imposing structures are ultimately subject to decay, as we all are.