(Bergamo 1639 - after 1699 Milan?)
Musical instruments, a globe, books, playing cards, and a palette,
oil on canvas, 94 x 120 cm, framed

Verso with a label of the late 19th century, inscribed: École italienne, Evaristo Baschenis

Literature:
Natura morta del XVII e XVIII secolo dalle collezioni dell’Accademia Carrara di Bergamo, ed. Davide Dotti, Milan 2011, No. 9. p 43

Exhibited:
Natura morta del XVII e XVIII secolo dalle collezioni dell’Accademia Carrara di Bergamo, Orzinuovi, Rocca di San Giorgio 27. August – 9th October 2011 and Sassari, Pinacoteca Mus’a, 29th October 2011 – 8th January 2012, No. 9

This painting is an important addition to the Bettera œuvre, highlighting the artistic qualities of this Lombard master. Viewed from a slightly raised vantage point, various objects and musical instruments are spread out in partial shade on an Oriental rug, in a seemingly haphazard manner. In fact, the individual objects are part of a precise geometric arrangement in the form of the letter ‘M’, with the vertical lines formed by the guitars and the diagonals by the neck of the viola and the lute resting on the globe.
The focal point of the scene is in the foreground, where the bell of the trumpet, the scroll of the violin, and that of the viola meet. This is also where one of the painting’s light sources is located, corresponding with the globe in the background. Bettera expands Baschenis‘ unusual iconographic repertory by including various other objects, such as the globe, a cassette with chequerboard design, books with precious leather covers – including two copies of Seneca and Cicero – as well as sheet music, a deck of cards, brushes and a palette showing the same colours the artist used in carrying out the painting at hand.

On closer inspection of the individual musical instruments, clear parallels with a painting by Bettera at the Pinacoteca Antica of the Accademia Carrara become apparent (Inv. No. 761): the expertly foreshortened violin at the centre of the image is a homage to Bascheni. The curtain of purple brocade with gilt embroidery, the rug with its raised geometric pattern, and the violin resting on its front on the right are recurring motifs employed by Bettera.

The arrangement of light and the colouration, the dramatic staging of the composition, and some details such as the chequered floor on the right margin, indicate a date between 1670–1675.