Antonio Rasio (Brescia, post 1677 – ante 1699)
Still Life with Bread and Salami, Meat, Fruit and a Hoopoe in a Landscape
oil on canvas 61x76.5 cm
Frame, 73.5 x 89 cm
Critical Sheet Prof. Alberto Crispo
This evocative canvas is attributed to the Brescian master Antonio Rasio (active post 1677 – circa 1700), and is a valuable example of Lombard still life painting from the late Baroque period. The painting departs from Rasio's better-known Arcimboldesque cycles, such as the famous Four Seasons housed at the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo, to fit into the tradition of "dispensa" still lifes, a genre popular in the Po Valley area, which celebrates the abundance of produce from the land and hunting. The work orchestrates a rich variety of objects on a natural stage. The focal point, located on the right, is the large joint of meat hanging from a tree trunk, rendered with strong material realism in the shades of dark red and white fat. On the left, on a rocky ledge, are carefully arranged bread and sliced salami, elements that introduce a contrast of textures and colors. In the foreground are three red fruits (apples or peaches) still attached to the branch, symbols of vitality and freshness; in the lower right is a hoopoe, depicted with meticulous detail in its feathers and crest.
There is no certain documentary information about the Brescian painter Antonio Rasio. His only works so far securely cataloged are preserved at the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo in Brescia. The only painting signed by him is "Still Life with Musical Instrument, Relief and Flowers," created in 1677. In this elaborate composition, Rasio depicts a marble shelf with historiated sides (decorated with relief scenes), in particular with the Sacrifice of Iphigenia at Aulis. A carpet and a cushion are draped on the shelf; on these rest a spinet with an open music book and a small lap dog. On the right, one can see a vase of flowers, a globe with the celestial sphere in front of an astronomy book, and a platter full of peaches and grapes. Rasio's most famous series of works is "The Four Seasons," created around 1685-1695 and also housed at the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo in Brescia. This series shows a close relationship with the inventions of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, the very famous painter active in the second half of the 16th century at the Austrian and Bohemian courts. Arcimboldo achieved success by creating a particular type of portrait entirely composed of assemblages of vegetables or objects. Rasio's depictions of the seasons are inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses, the themes of which were then reported and codified, for example, in Cesare Ripa's Iconology of 1593. Unlike the subjects portrayed by Arcimboldo, which are all half-length figures, Rasio's personifications of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter are depicted full-length and placed in a lakeside landscape. However, it cannot be overlooked that a large part of the painter's repertoire seems to be influenced by artists active in Rome, such as Antonio Tibaldi and Carlo Manieri. Furthermore, the aforementioned Four Seasons also appear to be inspired by compositions created by the Stanchi, Roman still life painters. It is therefore probable that the painter knew the Roman still life tradition, perhaps during a study trip, and then reinterpreted it in his homeland.
The unpublished painting is an important acquisition for expanding the painter's catalog, as it shows his versatility beyond the elaboration of still lifes with carpets and Arcimboldesque-inspired experiments.
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