Attributed to Carlo Manieri

Oscar and Maria Salzer, Los Angeles;
By whom given to the Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science, 1983 (acc. no. FMM 82.44).

Los Angeles, Fisher Gallery, University of Southern California; Seattle, WA, Seattle Art Museum; Honolulu, HI, Honolulu Academy of Art; Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Reality and Deception, 16 October 1974 – 20 April 1975, cat. no. 52, reproduced (as Attributed to Antonio de Pereda).

Portraits of Objects, Oscar and Maria Salzer Collection of Still Life and Trompe-L'Oeil Paintings, Fresno 1984, cat. no. 34, reproduced (as Attributed to Antionio de Pereda).

The canvas is lined. The surface is in good condition. Under UV; heavy varnish and evidence of strengthening throughout.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Carlo Manieri is an artistic personality whose biography and oeuvre have only recently been studied and defined.  Before the 1990s, Manieri's works were often confused with those of other, similar artists from the period, most notably Mariano Fetti and the Cavalier Maltese.  Part of the reason for this obscurity is the paucity of archival documents, inventories and histories that mention the artist.  For example, his name appears only three times in the Roman inventories:  the 1714 Colonna inventory lists six paintings by his hand;  the 1725 Pamphili inventory lists two; and the 1756 Valenti Gonzaga inventory lists two as well.¹  Manieri's name is similarly absent from the artists' biographies that were being compiled at the time.  Nevertheless, recent study has revealed that Manieri was a quite prolific still life painter, who appears also to have kept an active studio.  

Active in Rome from the early 1660s, Manieri's still lifes are characterized by their dark, rich palette and the inclusion of heavy brocaded draperies.  His ouput can be further categorized into two distinct groups:  those works featuring curtains, cushions, musical instruments, armor and other objects, such as the present work, and more traditional still lifes of fruit -- arranged in bunches, bowls and strewn across heavily draped tables -- such as the two works in the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte in Naples.  In the present work, the luxurious red fabric, edged and embroidered in gold, that is used to depict both the cushion on the table to the left, and the heavy curtain at right is quite characteristic of the artist, as are the luminous reflections of the light that filters in from the left and bounces off the folds of the silken fabrics.           

1.  See G. Bocchi and U. Bocchi, Pittori di Natura Morta a Roma 1630-1750, Verona 2005, pp. 571-572, footnotes 7-9, for more information on the specific works cited.