(Rome 1650/55–1686)
Still life with grapes and peaches,
oil on canvas, 65.5 x 49 cm, framed

Provenance:
Bordeaux collection, Milan, early 20th Century
and by descent to the present owner

We are grateful to Andrea G. De Marchi for suggesting the attribution after examination of the present painting in the original.

The present work was executed in Rome around 1670-75. It has traditionally been attributed to Lo Spadino, a name shared by three members of the same family of specialist still-life painters: the Castelli. The style of the present work points decisively to the eldest and rarest of the three painters, Bartolomeo il Vecchio (the elder), even though it also reveals stylistic similarities to another, better known specialist in the genre; Michele Pace, called Michelangelo del Campidoglio. The common elements are notable enough to suggest that the present work should be considered as a stylistic link between the two painters.

The painting’s format and composition recall another work attributed to Bartolomeo il Giovane [the younger], the nephew of the present painter, which was sold at Dorotheum on 24th April 2007, lot 44. It also recalls one of the only certain works documenting Bartolomeo’s activity; a canvas monogrammed BC, which re-appeared after cleaning (see: G and U. Bocchi, Pittori di natura morta a Roma, Viadana 2005, fig. BCV 1).