Francesco Noletti Detto Il Maltese, Still Life with Armor, 1640, Oil on Canvas, Framed

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Francesco Noletti, known as Maltese (Malta 1611-Rome 1654) Workshop/Circle of

Still Life with Musical Instruments, Games, Armor, Fabrics, and Precious … Read more Francesco Noletti, known as Maltese (Malta 1611-Rome 1654) Workshop/Circle of

Still Life with Musical Instruments, Games, Armor, Fabrics, and Precious Objects

Oil on canvas (52 x 78 cm - framed 71 x 102 cm)

This beautifully scenic painting depicts a still life composed of a lavish display of precious objects, arranged in apparent disorder, some on a table and some on the floor, all theatrically set behind a hanging drape from which tassels swing.

Among the objects our artist has reproduced, we can see parts of a suit of ceremonial armor with gold trim, jugs and plates made of precious metals, musical instruments including a tambourine with its sticks and a stringed instrument, a lute, and a sheet of music. The singular composition is completed by precious, finely chiseled, embossed, and gilded metal vessels and a chessboard.

It is crucial to grasp the meaning of these images, which, beyond the aesthetics of the decoration, are imbued with allegorical meaning, so much so that they can be interpreted as refined Vanitas paintings. This representation invites reflection on the futility of vainglory (here symbolized by the weapons), pleasures (the musical instruments), and earthly riches (the precious objects).

The pictorial characteristics reveal that the work was executed during the 17th century by a fine artist of the Italian school, attentive to detail and stylistic refinements drawn from the teachings of the finest Flemish masters of the time and previous generations.

The clear, post-Caravaggesque Roman influences are evident in the bold contrasts of light and the dense, overflowing pictorial material: all reasons that support the attribution of the painting to Francesco Fieravino, known as Maltese.

Active primarily in Rome, the painter was extremely prolific and enjoyed extraordinary success among collectors of the time, thanks to his exceptional creativity and the invention of singular posed life paintings. His presence and fame are evidenced by the many compositions that have been restored to him in recent times, once held in the most important public and private collections, such as those of the Albani, Barberini, Chigi, and Colonna families.

Adhering primarily to Baroque compositional ideals, the artist produced an exceptional body of paintings enriched with rugs and curtains covering tables and shelves, armor, flowers and fruit arranged haphazardly with a few precious objects, musical instruments, and framed pictures or mirrors.

His exuberant and sumptuous style profoundly influenced countless artists, such as Giovanni Domenico Valentini, Carlo Manieri, and Antonio Tibaldi, with whom his works are often mistakenly confused.

Almost as if in homage to their ancient destination, many of Maltese's works now adorn private collections. Worthy of note, however, are the two works preserved at the National Museum in Kielcach, located in the Bishops' Palace in Krakow, as well as the Still Life with a Helmet, housed at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold complete with a beautiful wooden frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and an iconographic This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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