1654 in art

Events

• October 12 – The Delft Explosion destroys the city of Delft, killing painter Carel Fabritius and destroying his home, studio and most of his paintings: only five are known to exist. Egbert van der Poel produces paintings of the explosion.

Paintings

• Willem Drost paints Bathsheba with King David's Letter, Portrait of an Officer in a Red Beret and ' and Portrait of a Young Woman in a Brocade Gown.
• Carel Fabritius paints his Young Man in a Fur Cap, The Sentry, and The Goldfinch, showing use of lighting effects with a bright background.
• Rembrandt completes Bathsheba at Her Bath and Woman Bathing in a Stream and paints his Portrait of Jan Six.
• Bartholomeus van der Helst paints '.
• Guercino paints Samson and Delilah.
• Philips Koninck paints The Feast of Bacchus.

Births

• February 19 – Antonio Bellucci, Italian painter from Treviso
• February 24 – Bartolomeo Altomonte, Italian painter
• March 10 – Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari, Italian painter of frescoes
• November 2 – Giuseppe Passeri, Italian painter active in his native city of Rome
• November 23 – Jan van Kessel the Younger, Flemish-Spanish painter
• December 10 – Giovanni Gioseffo dal Sole, Italian landscape painter and engraver from Bologna
• date unknown
• *Bartolomeo Guidobono, Italian painter active mainly in Northern Italy
• *Francisco Leonardoni, Italian painter active mainly in Spain
• *Giacomo del Pò, Italian painter of emblematical and allegorical subjects
• *Giacomo Antonio Ponsonelli, Italian Rococo sculptor
• *Michelangelo Ricciolino, Italian church painter of the Baroque period
• probable – Herman Moll, engraver active in England

Deaths

• January 17 – Paulus Potter, Dutch painter specializing in animals in landscapes
• January 23 – Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert, painter
• February 8 – Luca Ferrari, Italian painter
• April 5 – Lorenzo Garbieri, Italian painter
• June 10 – Alessandro Algardi, Italian sculptor active mainly in Rome
• October 12 – Carel Fabritius, Dutch painter
• December 1 – Giacomo Apollonio, Italian painter
• date unknown
• *Baccio Ciarpi, Italian painter
• *Nicolaes de Giselaer, Dutch painter and draughtsman