Philip Peter Roos (Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 1655 – Tivoli, Italy, 1706)

Born in Frankfurt am Main between 1655 and 1657, Philip Peter Roos was the son of landscape painter Johann Heinrich Roos. He trained in his father's workshop, where he learned landscape painting and the naturalistic depiction of animals.

In 1677, he moved to Rome with the support of Landgrave Charles I of Hesse-Kassel, who admired his talent and financed the journey. In Rome, he joined the circle of painter Giacinto Brandi, whose daughter he married in 1681, and became a member of the Congregation of the Virtuosi at the Pantheon to integrate into the Roman art scene.

In 1684, he settled in Tivoli, where he purchased a large house in the San Paolo district, known among friends as “Noah’s Ark” due to the many animals he kept for live study.

His style is distinguished by warm, earthy tones, a thick brushstroke, and dynamic compositions influenced by both Italian and Dutch painting.

In 1691, he returned to Rome and joined the Bentvueghels, a brotherhood of Northern European artists active in the city.

He often lived in precarious conditions, selling small paintings and sketches to travelers and sometimes paying for food and lodging with his artworks.

Philip Peter Roos died in poverty in Tivoli between 1705 and 1706.

Photo UniCredit Group (Sebastiano Pellion di Persano)