Roos. Dynasty of German painters, members of which were active from the 17th to the 19th century, in Austria, Italy, and the Netherlands as well as Germany. The founder of the family tradition was
Johann Heinrich Roos (
b Reipoltskirchen, 29 Sept. 1631;
d Frankfurt, 3 Oct. 1685). He trained in Amsterdam and specialized in idyllic pastoral scenes with herdsmen and livestock in the tradition of such Italianate Dutch painters as
Berchem and
Dujardin. His works in this vein were copied and imitated into the 19th century. Roos also painted other subjects, notably portraits, as well as making etchings, and he was a prolific draughtsman. He had four painter sons, of whom the most notable was
Philipp Peter Roos (
b St Goar, 30 Aug. 1657;
d Rome, 17 Jan. 1706). He settled in Italy in 1677 and in the late 1680s lived near Tivoli, from which he derives his nickname Rosa da Tivoli. Subsequently he lived mainly in Rome. Like his father he specialized in landscapes with animals. Examples of his large output are in many collections. He had two painter sons,
Jakob Roos (1682–?), known as Rosa da Napoli, and
Cajetan Roos (1690–1770), known as Gaetano Rosa.
Cajetan's son
Joseph (1726–1805) was the last significant member of the family. He worked in Vienna and continued the pastoral tradition of his ancestors in a
Rococo idiom.
