This painting, forming a pair with Still Life with Oriental Tablecloth and Metal Tableware, a work of similar dimensions, was recorded in the bank inventories as a work by Antonio Pereda, until Alfonso E. Pérez Sánchez’s in-depth analysis. Even though they are in fact a pair ―the outcome perhaps of the collaboration of two artists― the paintings are the work of different authors, as one can appreciate in their differing spatial and decorative conceptions. The work attributed to the French painter Jacques Hupin (active in the mid 17^th century) places the objects in the foreground, covering the surface of the tablecloth, while in this case the main ground of the painting is occupied by the architectural setting surrounding the still life, which is relegated to a small portion of the space.

Pérez Sánchez saw similarities with the Lombard painter Giovanni Battista Salvi (1609-1685), or with the Roman artist Gian Domenico Valentino (1661-1681), for the similarities in the architectural composition and the sumptuous curtains and tablecloths, although also pointing out a proximity to works by French artists influenced by the Bergamo school of painting.

In 2011, a smaller format work attributed to Carlo Maniere (active in Rome, 1662-1700) came up for public auction. The work depicts a table covered with a red tablecloth and a still life with fruit very similar to the painting at hand. The fact that the tablecloth is identical and given the similarities of the creases and, above all, of the details in the finishing of the fringes, a new line of research has opened up and it would seem evident that Maniere’s name should now be added to the list of possible authors.

On the other hand, the existence of a “pair” of still lifes of different handwork should not surprise us excessively; indeed, the two artists could have coincided in Italy and created works of similar dimensions that would have ended up being sold as a pair.

The depiction of everyday items in still lifes or bodegones was standard practice in 17^th century painting. And even though in some cases they might strike us as compositional exercises, others allow us to clearly perceive a hidden meaning. Some of the objects depicted here symbolise knowledge and science: the armillary sphere, the books and the statue of Athena, the Greek goddess of knowledge. Meanwhile, others comment on luxury and worldly pleasures, like the tableware and the architectural space. All in all, in this case the artist goes a step further, commenting on the fleetingness of worldly things in the recently extinguished candlelight. Therefore, we can safely claim that we are dealing with an allegory of time.