A serene and amusing group of musicians, is it not?
These practicing performers and many other portraits of melodic musicians was the result of the Church’s revival of music at the time of it’s execution. Cardinal Del Monte, in particular, was an avid music fan. So it’s no surprise when Caravaggio moved into this wealthy and important art patron’s house, that many subsequent commissions would involve music. Inspired by the musical mood of the Del Monte house, the artist was interested especially in the performance of the music itself, using instruments found from the house.
Caravaggio himself was interested in music and included the subject several times in his work, sometimes as part of a background, others as the main theme. He always made his scores easily readable, putting in notes from actual scores which can be read and played. These notes, in Rest on the Flight Into Egypt are easily recognizable as the Song of Songs, which Joseph holds up for the angel as Mary rests.
So why then, are the notes in this canvas indecipherable? Good question. While we at it, we can ask more questions about the composition. Although paintings are often reworked by artists, rarely are the pieces of four different paintings put together to form one whole. That’s right- four paintings, one for each of the players in this band.
Recognize the center figure? He is undoubtedly the player in Lute Player, a painting which actually has two versions already. The figure on the left looks remarkably like Boy Peeling Fruit. The figure in the back looking at the spectator is definitely a self-portrait, reworked from earlier paintings. And the figure with his back to the viewer is also a reworking from several earlier compositions.
So the indecipherable notes, and all four of the figures having appeared in earlier paintings all point to the possibility of this canvas actually being a collage of authentic Caravaggio paintings.
Could this be a fake? Some art historians believe it is, and for good reason.
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