Federico Baruffi Da Caravaggio

LOT 299 PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR 17TH CENTURY FOLLOWER OF CARAVAGGIO THE LUTE PLAYER 100,000—150,000 USD measurements measurements note 36 1/4 by 45 1/4 in.; 92 by 115 cm. Description oil on canvas PROVENANCE Jan Beharka, Elmhurst, New York, by 1975. CATALOGUE NOTE Even during his lifetime Caravaggio's paintings were so famousthat they were copied in Italy and northern Europe as well. Thispainting repeats the composition of the Lute Player, commissionedfrom Caravaggio by Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani, and now in theHermitage, St. Petersburg. Here, in a convention that dates to the fifteenth century, thesolo musician is shown seated behind a table on which is placed amusical score, a violin and bow and a still life of fruit, flowersand vegetables. However, the composition was not intended as asimple portrayal of a musician but a more complex representationwith overtones of the ephemeral nature of life and worldly love.The very act of playing an instrument is a transitory one, as isthe music that is produced, while the score, based on Caravaggio'soriginal, was identified as an amorous madrigal. The still life offruit and flowers is also a traditional vanitas element.