Attributed to Francesco Trevisani

Italian school possibly FRANCESCO TREVISANI; early 18th century.
"Allegory of music".
Oil on copper.
Measurements: 9.5 x 12.5 cm; 15 x 18.5 cm (frame).
Work of oval format attributed to Francesco Trevisani in which an allegory of the Music is represented by means of the figure of half bust of a young woman that delicately plays a lute. Framed within the visual language of the late Roman Baroque, the composition combines feminine grace, expressive serenity and technical virtuosity, characteristic features of the painter's mature style.
The female figure, idealized according to the canons of academic classicism, appears slightly turned in three quarters, in a contemplative attitude, while her fingers caress the strings of the instrument with a restrained gesture. Her absent gaze, directed towards an undefined point, accentuates the introspective character of the allegory, evoking the spiritual dimension of music as art. The subtly open neckline, the soft folds of the dress and the careful gradation of light that models her face and hands reveal a refined pictorial technique, based on the modulation of the chiaroscuro and the delicacy of the impasto.
Francesco Trevisani was an Italian painter active in the transition between late Baroque and early Rococo, a style sometimes called barochetto. He was the son of the architect Antonio Trevisani, who introduced him to the fundamentals of drawing. He later studied in Venice with Antonio Zanchi, before moving permanently to Rome, where he developed the bulk of his artistic career.
In Rome, Trevisani enjoyed the patronage of Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni and was deeply influenced by Carlo Maratta. He also received the support of Cardinal Chigi, who entrusted him with important commissions and recommended him to Pope Clement XI. The latter commissioned him to paint one of the prophets in San Giovanni in Laterano and entrusted him with the decoration of the dome of the cathedral of Urbino,
He was also requested by the Duke of Modena to copy works by Correggio and Parmigianino, and carried out works at various European courts, including Brunswick, Madrid, Munich, Stockholm and Vienna. In 1712 he was admitted as a member of the Academy of Arcadia,