The unpublished paintings are attributed to the painter Stefano Camogli (Genoa 1619/192 – 1690) known as “Camoglino” Excellent painter of arabesques, foliage, flowers, and similar things [R. Soprani in the Lives of Genoese painters, sculptors, and architects  (in this second edition revised, enlarged, and enriched with notes by Carlo Giuseppe Ratti), p.31] pupil of the Flemish/Genoese master Jan Roos and subsequently collaborator, as well as brother-in-law, of Domenico Piola. The format of the two canvases, long and narrow, suggests that their placement was on the sides of a window of a balcony, as it was often customary to “decorate” homes at the time; it is precisely the balustrade that recalls an external garden on which a composition of flowers and one of fruits rest respectively.  Artists often included compositional elements in their canvases; for example, furs or jewels to represent the status of those portrayed, but also animals placed not randomly but with a precise symbolic meaning. The inclusion of these cute little animals was very requested especially by noble and aristocratic families, especially the parrot, a rare exotic bird, considered a status symbol that only the rich could have in their aviaries.  At the foot of the two bases stand out a parrot and a little monkey, two very “human” species. The former, symbol of eloquence, through the art of the word will try to persuade the intellect of man, or the little monkey, to abandon the malice of sin, sexual and lascivious. So a kind of allegory. Two beautiful canvases, in excellent condition, which add to the catalog of an important still life painter of the Genoese Baroque. Dimensions: 132.5 x 38 cm