Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich (Weimar 1712-1774 Dresden)

Saint William of Maleval was an immoral soldier who repented for his sins and founded the Williamites, a branch of the Hermits of Saint Augustine. Dietrich frequently produced paintings and etchings in the manner of earlier artists. This composition, executed in the manner of Salvator Rosa, probably also derives from Rosa's etching of the subject (see R.W. Wallace, The Etchings of Salvator Rosa, Princeton, 1979, no. 99).