Aniello Falcone or Ancillo Falcone' (15 November 16001656) was an Italian

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

, active in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

and noted for his painted depictions of battle scenes.

Biography

Born in Naples to a tradesman, he showed his artistic tendency at an early age. He first received some instruction from a relative, before becoming a pupil of

José de Ribera Jusepe de Ribera (; baptised 17 February 1591 – 3 November 1652) was a Spanish painter and printmaker. Ribera, Francisco de Zurbarán, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and the singular Diego Velázquez, are regarded as the major artists of Spani ...

. He is best known for his battle scenes, their subjects taken from both biblical and secular history, and was nicknamed ''L'Oracolo delle Battaglie''. He gained an international reputation; his works attracted the attention of the Flemish dealer and collector Gaspar Roomer, who sold his work across Europe, and he was one of the artists commissioned by

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV (, ; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered for his patronage of the ...

to paint a series of scenes from ancient Roman history for the Buen Retiro palace. He also painted various religious subjects such as the signed and dated ''Rest on the Flight to Egypt'' of 1641 (Naples Cathedral) and his frescoes for the chapel of Sant' Agata In S. Paolo Maggiore, Naples of around the same time.''Painting in Naples: From Caravaggio to Giordano, 1981, p.153 The attribution of his battle scenes is complicated by the similarity of those of his pupil Andrea di Leone, with which they have often been confused. During the insurrection against Spanish rule led by

Masaniello Tommaso Aniello (29 June 1620 – 16 July 1647), popularly known by the contracted name Masaniello (, ), was an Italian fisherman who became leader of the 1647 revolt against the rule of Habsburg Spain in the Kingdom of Naples. Name and place ...

in 1647, he resolved to be bloodily avenged for the death, at the hands of two Spaniards, of a nephew and of a pupil in the school of art which he had established in Naples. Salvator Rosa, Carlo Coppola, among others, and he formed an armed band called the ''Compagnia della Morte'' ("Company of Death"). When the revolt was crushed, Falcone and Rosa made off to Rome, where Borgognone noticed the works of Falcone, and became his friend, and a Frenchman induced him to go to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, where

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

became one of his patrons. Ultimately Jean-Baptiste Colbert obtained permission for the painter to return to Naples, where he died during the plague of 1656. Two of his battle pieces are preserved in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

and in the Naples museum; he painted a portrait of Masaniello, and engraved a few plates. His pupils included Salvator Rosa and Carlo Coppola, Domenico Gargiulo (known as Micco Spadaro),

Paolo Porpora Paolo Porpora (1617–1673) was an Italian painter of the late-Baroque, who was active mainly in Naples and specialized in floral still life A still life (: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject m ...

and Andrea di Lione.

Gallery

File:Aniello Falcone - The Concert - WGA7731.jpg, ''The Concert'',

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

File:Riposofugaegitto.jpg, ''Rest on the flight into Egypt'', Diocesan Museum (Naples) File:Aniello Falcone - Roman soldiers in the circus.jpg, ''Roman soldiers in the circus'',

File:Aniello Falcone - Jacob contemplates the bloodied clothes of his son Joseph.jpg, ''Jacob contemplates the bloodied clothes of his son Joseph'', Museo nazionale d'arte medievale e moderna della Basilicata,

Matera Matera (, ; Neapolitan language, Materano: ) is a city and the capital of the Province of Matera in the regions of Italy, region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. With a history of continuous occupation dating back to the Palaeolithic (10th mi ...

File:Aniello Falcone - The schoolmistress.jpg, ''The school teacher'',

Museo di Capodimonte Museo di Capodimonte is an art museum located in the Palace of Capodimonte, a grand Bourbon palazzo in Naples, Italy designed by Giovanni Antonio Medrano. The museum is the prime repository of Neapolitan painting and decorative art, with se ...

File:Aniello Falcone - Simson erschlägt die Philister - 5592 - Bavarian State Painting Collections.jpg, ''Samson against the Philistines'',

Alte Pinakothek The Alte Pinakothek (, ''Old Pinakothek'') is an art museum located in the Kunstareal area in Munich, Germany. It is one of the oldest galleries in the world and houses a significant collection of Old Master paintings. The name Alte (Old) Pin ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

File:Aniello Falcone - Schlachtenbild - 2380 - Bavarian State Painting Collections.jpg, ''Battle image'',

File:Aniello Falcone - Head of a screaming warrior.jpg, ''Head of a screaming warrior'', drawing, Kunsthalle Bremen File:Aniello Falcone - Head of a soldier with a helmetn -.jpg, ''Head of a soldier with a helmet'' File:Ritratto di Masaniello - Aniello Falcone.jpg, ''Portrait of

References

Additional sources

* Pierluigi Leone De Castris, ''Aniello Falcone'', Artem editor, 2025 * Pierluigi Leone De Castris, ''Aniello Falcone, the Velàzquez of Naples'', Elio de Rosa editor, 2022

Sources

* *

External links

*
Jusepe de Ribera, 1591-1652
', a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which includes material on Aniello Falcone (see index) {{DEFAULTSORT:Falcone, Aniello 1600 births 1665 deaths Artists from the Kingdom of Naples 17th-century Neapolitan people 17th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Italian Baroque painters Painters from Naples Italian battle painters