A recent exhibition of sixteenth to eighteenth centuries Venetian paintings from Silesian and Moravian collections, held in Brno, presented an interesting Narcissus (Ostrava, Fine Arts Gallery) attributed to Francesco Ruschi. This picture is here recognized as an important, high quality work by the Venetian artist Pietro Negri (1628 c.-1679), one of the prominent members of the so called “tenebrist” movement. The painting is discussed in the context of other works by the artist; a few remarks are given to its not so common subject, which Leon Battista Alberti regarded as a metaphor for the painter’s creative ability.
