1633 ? – Rome 1702
Still lifes of fruits and flowers in a crystal vase on a table draped with red brocade
Oil on canvas, a pair
95,8 x 74 cm
Circa 1690
Literature : G. Bocchi & U. Bocchi, Pittori di Natura morta a Roma, Artisti italiani 1630-1750, Arti Grafiche Castello, Viadana, p. 525-570.
Long forgotten by the history of art and by collectors, recent studies undertaken during the 1990s have made it possible to restore to the painter Carlo Manieri the primordial place he occupied within the production of still lifes in Rome, during the second half of the 17th century.
While most of his biography remains unclear, his date of birth is uncertain (although it is mentioned as 1633 on the basis of the Zeri Foundation), and the location of this inferred from the information present in his daughter’s birth certificate; his years of Roman activity could, However, it is established, from 1662 to 1700, thanks to documents attesting his admission to the prestigious Congregazione dei Virtuosi al Pantheon.
Until today, all that remained of this institutional recognition was a material translation limited to a dozen works listed in the famous inventories Colonna, Pamphilj and Valenti Gonzaga of 1714, 1725 & 1756. Despite the incomplete nature of the information that has reached us, it seems that its production is distinguished by sumptuous compositions trimmed with fruits, flowers and birds, richly supported by curtains and brocade cushions, of silverware, musical instruments and trophies, often orchestrated in a majestic ancient architectural setting.
The reconstruction of the artist’s corpus and the identification of distinctive elements of Manieri’s art could be initiated from another inventory, that of Pellegrino Peri, one of the richest merchants in Rome. Originally from Genoa, he was one of the most influential players in the art market of the papal city during the second half of the 17th century. True intermediary between patrons and artists, he advised, from his shop in Piazza Navona, cardinal Benedetto Pamphilj (1653-1730) for the decoration of his palace. Sometimes given to Gabriello Salci, or sometimes to Berentz, a certain number of still lifes from the same hand are now often returned to Carlo Manieri.
The artistic effervescence that animated Rome during the second half of the 17th century, led in fact many artists to influence each other, as is the case between our painter and Christian Berentz (1658-1722), a German who realized his whole career in Italy, and more particularly in Rome, known for having introduced in his still lifes the themes, detail and finesse of touch, inherent to Nordic painting. The proximity of the two artists’ production led specialists to attribute two pendants from a series – now identified as being by Manieri – to a “pseudo Berentz”, since the paintings were painted before he arrived in Rome. Similarly, other paintings now attributed to Manieri have long been identified as works by various other artists such as Francesco Fieravino, Meiffren Conte, the «Maestro della Floridiana», Antonio Tibaldi, or Gabriele Salci (1681-1720), the artist formerly brought closer to our two counterparts, by similarity of composition.
Mainly in private collections – probably due to their obvious decorative aesthetics – our artist’s paintings allow us, taken as a whole, to understand his influences and the uniqueness of his still lifes. He was one of the pillars of the genre in Rome during the second half of the 17th century, managing to assimilate and make vibrate the noble rigid compositions of Benedetto Fioravanti; infusing his paintings with the elegance and lightness of Berentz; and using the generous naturalism of Michelangelo del Campidoglio. Beyond these theoretical observations, the works of Manieri were very appreciated by the rich patrons of his time, which is why he made many series, from repetitions to slight variations always coherent, in order to adorn sumptuous interiors, As is probably the case for our two works.
The first plane is occupied by a support: a stone entablature carved of a lion’s paw flying in a leaf acanthus for the first, and a table with white marble top with golden feet decorated with plant motifs for the second. A beautiful curtain of red shimmering brocade, with floral patterns embroidered with gold thread, is carelessly laid on each of these supports, declined in a series of complex folds. Like altars to still life, these draped displays offer a view of a farandole of fleshy and motley fruits, pears to grape bunches, passing by peaches, plums and pomegranates. This abundance, although overflowing, is contained – if not directly placed on the table – within a silver urn on each of the pendants. But these are not the only pieces of goldsmithery, since a whole set composed of a golden ewer, a finely crafted cartel and a crystal vase in the form of a calyx and an ornate foot comes to embellish this abundance of fruits and vine branches. Moreover, the crystal vases, framing the composition by their verticality, welcome a bouquet of blue petunias and pale roses, bringing a touch of grace to this generous scene. Finally, in the background, a dark curtain closes and delimits the space as if it were the subdued interior of a sumptuous 17th century palace.
These two paintings thus represent a double testimony: that of a taste particularly developed for the aesthetics of still life and interior decoration in the seventeenth century, in Rome; as well as that of a changing history of art, gradually unveiling, as and when the discoveries, the hand of an artist who seems to have been a must-see decorator among the highest dignitaries of the papal city.