Agliardi Triptych (right)

Evaristo Baschenis was the leading still-life painter of seventeenth-century Italy. He loved the sensuous musical instruments of his day, whose satiny finishes and graceful curves he captured with striking virtuosity. The three canvases, Baschenis’s masterpiece called the Agliardi Triptych, were executed for the artist’s aristocratic patrons, Counts Ottavio, Bonifacio, and Alessandro Agliardi in Bergamo. The triptych includes portraits of the three brothers and a self-portrait of the artist playing instruments.

The third picture of the triptych depicts a musical performance with Alessandro Agliardi with a guitar and Bonifacio Agliardi. Other represented objects are a guitar, an archlute , and bound books. The monumental volumes resting prominently on the table document the three brothers’ interests in legal history and literature.