BARTOLOMEO BETTERA (ITALIAN 1639-1688), A STILL LIFE OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

BARTOLOMEO BETTERA (ITALIAN 1639-1688) A STILL LIFE OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS INCLUDING A VIOLA, A VIOLIN, A CELLO AND A SELECTION OF LUTES Oil on canvas 93 x 117.5cm (36½ x 46¼in.) In a black frame with scrolling acanthus leaf decoration and gilded accents Provenance: Sale, Sotheby's, London, Day Sale, 5 July 2007, lot 207 (for £102,000) The collection of The Honorable C. Boyden Gray Bartolomeo Bettera, a native of Bergamo, fully embraced the strong tradition of Lombard still-life painting. Characterised by a rich palette and a dense arrangement of objects, seemingly poised to spill towards the viewer, Bettera responded to the taste of the late Baroque. He transformed the dramatic arrangement of musical instruments, globes and other objects into theatrical compositions, often accompanied by richly elaborated brocaded draperies, drawn like curtains framing a stage. Long confused with the paintings of Evaristo Baschenis (1607–1677), and with the works of the Monogrammist B.B., the oeuvre of Bartolomeo Bettera was more clearly discerned following Rosci’s publication of 1971. [1] Dott. Alberto Crispo endorsed the attribution to Bartolomeo Bettera on the basis of photographs, as recorded in the catalogue of the Sotheby’s sale. 1. M. Rosci, Baschenis, Bettera & Co., Milan 1971. Condition Report Disclaimer, BARTOLOMEO BETTERA (ITALIAN 1639-1688), A STILL LIFE OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS INCLUDING A VIOLA, A VIOLIN, A CELLO AND A SELECTION OF LUTES, BARTOLOMEO BETTERA (ITALIAN 1639-1688) A STILL LIFE OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS INCLUDING A VIOLA, A VIOLIN, A CELLO AND A SELECTION OF LUTES Oil on canvas 93 x 117.5cm (36½ x 46¼in.) In a black frame with scrolling acanthus leaf decoration and gilded accents Provenance: Sale, Sotheby's, London, Day Sale, 5 July 2007, lot 207 (for £102,000) The collection of The Honorable C. Boyden Gray Bartolomeo Bettera, a native of Bergamo, fully embraced the strong tradition of Lombard still-life painting. Characterised by a rich palette and a dense arrangement of objects, seemingly poised to spill towards the viewer, Bettera responded to the taste of the late Baroque. He transformed the dramatic arrangement of musical instruments, globes and other objects into theatrical compositions, often accompanied by richly elaborated brocaded draperies, drawn like curtains framing a stage. Long confused with the paintings of Evaristo Baschenis (1607–1677), and with the works of the Monogrammist B.B., the oeuvre of Bartolomeo Bettera was more clearly discerned following Rosci’s publication of 1971. [1] Dott. Alberto Crispo endorsed the attribution to Bartolomeo Bettera on the basis of photographs, as recorded in the catalogue of the Sotheby’s sale. 1. M. Rosci, Baschenis, Bettera & Co., Milan 1971. Provenance:, Day Sale, Baschenis, Bettera & Co. Condition Report Disclaimer

Estimate:£30,000

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