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Still life with musical instruments

Active in Rome from the early 1660s, Carlo Manieri was admitted to the Congregazione dei Virtuosi al Pantheon in 1662, remaining a member until 1675. His works are documented in important Roman collections, such as those of the Colonna family (inventory of 1714), the Pamphilj family (1735), and the Valenti Gonzaga family (1756), although the paintings cited are no longer identifiable within these collections.
In the past, Manieri's works have often been confused with those of Francesco Noletti. This painting, in fact, shows significant similarities, in composition and arrangement, with a still life attributed to il Maltese, now held at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich (inv. 1118).
The present work is distinguished by the dark, rich palette, a hallmark of Manieri, and by the use of heavy brocade draperies, a recurring element in his compositions, which accentuate the scene's sense of opulence and theatricality.

We thank Professor Keith Sciberras for highlighting the work's close stylistic resemblance to Carlo Manieri, and Maestro Alejo Perez for his kind assistance in reading the illustrated scores to verify their compatibility with seventeenth-century musical language.
oil on canvas
cm 74,2 x 97,2 - framed cm 95 x 120
Bibliography:
Reference bibliography:
G. Bocchi and U. Bocchi, Pittori di Natura Morta a Roma, Artisti Italiani 1630-1750, Viadana, 2005, pp. 525-571.
€ 8.000,00 / 12.000,00
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CAPOLAVORI DA COLLEZIONE | École de Paris, Twentieth-Century Avant-Gardes, and Old Masters

Rome, Palazzo Celsi, tue 21 October 2025
SINGLE SESSION 21/10/2025 Hours 18:30
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