CARLO CERESA (Bergamo, 1609 - 1679). "Portraits". Oil on canvas (x2). Re-framed. Measurements: 72,5 x 59,5 cm; 92 x 80 cm (frames) Pair of portraits showing a mother with a little boy in both cases. One of them shows a lady with her son, both holding a small box, while the other portrait shows a girl sharing an orange. Both pieces, although different, have the same general intonation, which is very restrained and warm, but also reveals a great sobriety; it revolves around the earthy, ochre and reddish tones of naturalism, punctuated by touches of a very nuanced white. Nevertheless, it is a key element in the modelling of the faces, their details and their lighting. The level of detail and delicacy is evident in both works, especially in the treatment of the fabrics, with satin, lace and velvet standing out, all excellently differentiated from each other. However, one of the most characteristic features is to be found in the family portrait of the child holding a gold medal with gem-set rubies in which the devotional image of Saint Anthony of Padua can be seen, thus giving the image a religious dimension. It is important to point out the contrast created in both pieces by contrasting the features of childhood with those of maturity, the two stages being recreated in a way that is truthful and faithful to reality. The piece is aesthetically reminiscent of works by Carlo Ceresa, a pupil and later assistant to the Milanese painter Daniele Crespi, whose style and vocabulary survived in his work after the master's death in 1630. He was active in the Bergamo area and produced a large number of religious works characterised by great sobriety and a discreet approach combined with the vivid colour of the Veneto school. He was also a skilled portraitist whose services were sought after by the city's noble families. The naturalism that pervades the depiction of his subjects recalls the work of Moroni and awaits Fra Galgario and Ceruti (Pitochetto).