River Landscape

1638

Move to Rome under the Protection of Cardinal Brancaccio

He settled in Rome under the patronage of the influential Cardinal Francesco Maria Brancaccio, a lover of the arts and theater who was close to the Barberini family.

1640

Meeting Lucrezia Paolini

In Florence he met Lucrezia Paolini, who had been abandoned by her husband; she became his lifelong companion and was probably the model for the allegory of Music (c. 1641).

1640–1649

Florentine Period at the Medici Court

After scandalous quarrels with Bernini and his failure to gain admission to the Accademia di San Luca, he moved to Florence at the invitation of Giovanni Carlo de' Medici, where he remained until 1649.

1640s

Founding of the Accademia dei Percossi in Florence

In Florence he founded the Accademia dei Percossi — a combination of studio and salon of poets, playwrights, and painters, where satires and comedies were read at dinners.

1640s

The Satires "Music," "Poetry," "Painting," and "War"

While staying with the Maffei brothers in Volterra, he wrote four satires — Music, Poetry, Painting, and War; at the same time he painted the picture Philosophy (now in the National Gallery, London).

1641

Birth of His First Son, Rosalvo

Rosa and Lucrezia had their first son, Rosalvo, probably in Volterra; at least four more of the couple's children born between 1641 and 1657 were given up to foundling homes.