SFERINI, Carlo Leopoldo - b. 1652 Germany, d. 1698 Verona

Italian painter, called Carlo Tedesco, probably of German origin, active in Verona. He was long considered as a quadratura painter and a painter of figural frescoes working in churches and villas in the Veneto, particularly in Verona and its surroundings. He was also acknowledged as a skilled draughtsman. A trompe-l’oeil still-life assigned to him was first published in 1989, and it served as the starting point for identifying other still-lifes by him. It is now clear that alongside Domenico Remps, also of northern origin and active in the Veneto, Sferini was the earliest exponent of the independent trompe-l’oeil genre in Italy.

Trompe-l'oeil Still-Life

The present still-life with a painting, a drawing and painting tools displays clever illusionism, wit, and a characteristic northern attention to detail. Sferini combines one of the most widespread forms of trompe-l’oeil - known as the “studio wall,” invented by Cornelius Gijsbrechts - with elements of another typical form of the genre, the “quodlibet” (Latin for “as it pleases”), or medley, that is an array of personal odds and ends, letters, book, without any apparent link in content or form.