The National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania boasts an early 17th-century painting depicting musicians and musical instruments typical of the Baroque epoch.
The work has been attributed to the painter Lionello Spada from Bologna in Northern Italy, who is said to have worked for the Farnese princes. This early Baroque artist studied at the school established by the brothers Annibale and Ludovico Carracci in the city of Bologna. Later, he lived and worked in Rome, Naples, Malta and Parma. Spada is considered one of the most famous 17th-century Italian painters – Caravaggio's follower, or perhaps even his pupil.
The painting is seeped in riddles – the number of sheet music books placed on the table does not match the number of musical instruments. There are six books and seven instruments – a viola da gamba by the base of the table, a Baroque guitar on the table, a theorbo in the musician's hands, two violins and a traverso or Baroque flute, and the voice, also serving as an instrument. Research of the painting revealed that the flute player on the right hand side of the painting was added at a later time.
One of the versions of this painting without the flute player is kept at the Louvre in Paris.