Thales in his interior

Known for his opulent still lifes, Carlo Manieri rarely shows figures. Here, the artist takes his cue from an engraving by Claude Vignon (based on a drawing in a private collection), part of a series devoted to the Seven Wise Men of Greece, of which no painted version is known.
Absent from both the print and Vignon's drawing, the working cabinet used as a setting (or better still, as a case) for the scholar, is here richly decorated with precious furniture and hangings by Manieri, who has returned to his preferred world. The figure is depicted in antique style, laurelled and dressed in a himation (a woollen coat worn by the Greeks).
Other versions have been supplied by the artist, with variations but featuring the same decorative elements, probably present in the workshop.
We would like to thank Mr. Gianluca Bocchi for confirming the authenticity of this work.

Provenance: Coll. part. Paris
Bibliography: Unpublished
Comparative bibliography: Paola Pacht Bassani, Claude Vignon 1593-1670, Arthéna 1992,
p. 364, n. 300