Cristoforo Munari

Apr 11, 2024 | sarasotamagazine.com | Lauren Jackson |Luca Forte |Frans Snyders |Cristoforo Munari

A restored painting has made its way back into the collection at The Ringling Museum of Art. Watermelon Regatta is an early 18th-century Italian painting that has undergone significant restoration over the last seven years and is now hanging in Gallery 12. Painted by an unknown artist identified as "Master of the Fertility of the Egg," crustaceans and other animals race watermelon boats through a canal, while onlookers cheer them on. It's filled with food, fun and plenty of absurdity.