A trompe l'oeil of a zither, a guitar, a lute, a globe, with an hourglass and pewter platter with pomegranates on a wooden table, before a planked wall with a map of Europe and other objects; and A trompe l'oeil of a violin, a lute, a trumpet and an oboe on a harpsichord, before a planked wall with a portrait, a pocketwatch, a map and other objects

These are exceptional examples of the activity of Sebastiano Lazzari as a trompe l'oeil painter. Very little is known about the artist, except that he was from Verona, as he often stated in his signature. It seems that he started depicting trompe l'oeil still-lifes in 1750, mostly against planked walls, which is why they were often called 'finti assi'. He also worked as a designer for majolica and porcelain factories, first in Nove, near Vicenza, and later in Venice and Bologna.
In the first painting, the inscription on the guitar refers to Domenico Sellas, who, with his father Matteo, was a successful instrument maker in Venice in the 17th century. The crown inscribed on the peghead was the shop sign used by these two Venetian luthiers. The name on the rolled scores refers to the Bolognese composer Antonio Mazzoni (1717-1785), who set several dramas by Metastasio to music. In the second painting, the inscription on the harpsichord probably refers to the Venetian maker of keyboard instruments Alessandro Trasuntino, called Alessandro degli Organi, of whom Titian painted a portrait in 1540 in exchange for a harpsichord. The 'Sig. Egiziello' mentioned in the score is certainly Gioacchino Conti (1714-1761), called Gizziello, a celebrated castrato whose career took him throughout Europe, and even to London. He delivered many of the debut performances of the most celebrated composers of the time: amongst these he sang Metastasio's Demetrio in 1747, set to music by Johann Adolf Hasse, from where the 'Aria di Alceste' (Non so frenare il pianto) is taken.