Still-Life with Musical Instruments

This still-life is a representative work of Evaristo Baschenis. It depicts a conglomeration of musical instruments and books lying in careless abandon atop a crimson damask tablecloth. The warm tonalities of the instruments, which absorb the rich red of the fabric, permeate the painting with an intimate glow. The light streaming from the upper right corner reflects from the polished curved surfaces of the inlaid lute and guitar while accentuating the creamy, sensuously curved pages lying atop and below the spinet.