Neapolitan school; ca. 1700. "Still life". Oil on canvas. Re-coloured. It presents repainting and restorations. Measurements: 91 x 166 cm; 110 x 185 cm (frame). Neapolitan still life by flowers and fruits magnificently worked, with detail and attention to the qualities. In spite of the profusion of the elements that make up the composition, the still life takes place in an interior, which is intuited due to the furniture that forms part of the scene, and that in the last plane a small opening can be appreciated, which allows to see an exterior landscape. The elements that make up the still life are placed in the foreground, in a typically classical composition that is at the same time dynamic despite the relatively simple structure of the space. The dynamism is enhanced by the use of bright, metallic colours, such as the orange of the fabric or the upholstery of the chair and the pink of the flowers. These colours in turn create a strong contrast with the rest of the tenebrist tonality of the canvas, which is typical of the Neapolitan still life. Given its technical characteristics, it is likely that the work belongs to the circle of the artist Andrea Belvedere (Italy, 1652-1732), who was called to the Spanish court by Luca Giordano. Belvedere settled in Madrid in 1694 until 1700, leaving several examples of his work as a still-life painter in the capital, which are now in the collection of the Museo del Prado. Highly appreciated within the antiquarian market, as well as among collectors and art historians, the Neapolitan still-life school of the Baroque enjoyed a spectacular development, leaving behind the splendour of the 16th century and progressing within a fully Baroque and clearly identifiable style. Artists such as Tommaso Realfonso, Nicola Casissa, Gaspare Lopez, Giacomo Nani and Baldassare de Caro continued the local tradition by specialising in the painting of flowers, fruit, fish and game, thus satisfying the demands of a vast clientele characterised by a new 17th-century taste. In addition to these artists, there are also the minor figures who are slowly emerging from an unjust oblivion, and some artists who worked between the 17th and 18th centuries, such as Francesco della Questa, Aniello Ascione, Nicola Malinconico, Gaetano Cusati, Onofrio Loth, Elena and Nicola Maria Recco, Giuseppe Ruoppolo and Andrea Belvedere. These Neapolitan still-life painters, who worked during the 17th and early 18th centuries, are known as "i generisti" and were important not only in their own environment but also, and especially, in Spain, where the development of the genre was clearly marked by Italian influence, particularly the contribution of the Neapolitan school. Today this school is considered one of the most outstanding within the Baroque still life genre. The distinguishing feature of Neapolitan Baroque painters was always their strong naturalistic character and their warm chromaticism, with a dominance of reddish and earthy tones. Dimensions 91 x 166 cm; 110 x 185 cm (frame).