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Lot Essay
Along with John Singer Sargent and James McNeill Whistler, Giovanni Boldini was the artist of choice for members of high society who wanted their portrait painted by one of the most modern artists in Europe. His flamboyant style was admired by an increasingly fashion-conscious society and his portraits of Giuseppe Verdi (Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Rome), Count Robert de Montesquiou (Musée d'Orsay), the Duchess of Marlborough and her son Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill (The Metropolitan Museum of Art), and the Marchesa Luisa Casati (Private collection) confirm his position as the supreme portraitist of the Belle Epoque; his bravura technique perfectly captured the nervous energy and high fashion of the period. Drawing from his knowledge of the more traditional British portrait genre extolled by Sir Anthony van Dyck and later Sir Thomas Gainsborough, Boldini's portraits from the earlier part of his career were modelled in a similar way yet treated with the entirely contemporary artistic spirit of the time.
'La femme de Boldini', characterised by a combination of the 'swagger
portrait' and the revolutionary progressive styles, is beautifully
captured in this seductive portrait of the infamously beautiful Comtesse Speranza. Although there is little known about the sitter, there can be no doubt that she was revered for her elegant beauty. Her bold open stance as she throws her fur coat over her slender shoulders suggests her confident sexuality, which contrasts to her innocently white decolletée. With masterful rendering of the medium, Boldini outlines the creases in the folds of the dress, capturing the textures of the fur and textiles. Glancing flirtatiously to one side, she invites us into her glamorous world of youth and beauty. The combination of the finished detailled features of her face with the light brushstrokes of her attire results in a sublime work, less formal than British portraiture yet more dignified than pure impressionism.
While she exudes high fashion and grace, modern hair and jewellery, her pale skin and blushered cheeks with matching glossy lips are all painted with a wonderful combination of studied detailing and new energy. This painting perfectly illustrates how Boldinis's expressive technique had so fervently captured the so-called nervous energy and high fashion of such a transient era.
'La femme de Boldini', characterised by a combination of the 'swagger
portrait' and the revolutionary progressive styles, is beautifully
captured in this seductive portrait of the infamously beautiful Comtesse Speranza. Although there is little known about the sitter, there can be no doubt that she was revered for her elegant beauty. Her bold open stance as she throws her fur coat over her slender shoulders suggests her confident sexuality, which contrasts to her innocently white decolletée. With masterful rendering of the medium, Boldini outlines the creases in the folds of the dress, capturing the textures of the fur and textiles. Glancing flirtatiously to one side, she invites us into her glamorous world of youth and beauty. The combination of the finished detailled features of her face with the light brushstrokes of her attire results in a sublime work, less formal than British portraiture yet more dignified than pure impressionism.
While she exudes high fashion and grace, modern hair and jewellery, her pale skin and blushered cheeks with matching glossy lips are all painted with a wonderful combination of studied detailing and new energy. This painting perfectly illustrates how Boldinis's expressive technique had so fervently captured the so-called nervous energy and high fashion of such a transient era.