(active in Rome, first half of the 17th Century)
An allegory of the sense of smell and hearing; and
An allegory of the sense of sight,
oil on canvas, 74.5 x 59.5 cm (smell) and 75.5 x 59.5 cm (sight), framed, a pair

Provenance:
Property of a European noble Family;
sale, Christie’s London, 4 December 2013, lot 162 (as Pseudo Caroselli);
where acquired by the present owner

The present painting belongs within the body of work given to the so-called Pseudo Caroselli, an artist whose identity remains obscure. He is identified by the comparison of his work with the Roman painter Angelo Caroselli (1585–1652). Laura Laureati was the first to codify this artist as an autonomous personality creating the name Pseudo Caroselli, with which he is now conventionally identified. She gave to two paintings with complex allegorical meanings to him which had formerly been attributed to Angelo Caroselli by Luigi Salerno (see L. Laureati, in: F. Zeri/F. Porzio (eds.), La natura morta in Italia, Milan 1989, II, pp. 768-769).

The work of this as yet unknown painter is comprised of around thirty paintings. The works included often incorporate erotic overtones and the present two paintings are significant examples of his oeuvre.