Raimundo de Madrazo y Garreta

Sale, Sotheby's, New York, October 23, 1997, lot 118, illustrated

Zaragoza, Galeria Jalón, Raimundo de Madrazo, May-June 1996, no. 89, p. 89, illustrated

Painted circa 1884-85.

Madrazo began his training under his father Federico, followed by studies at the School of Fine Arts, Madrid and then under Léon Cogniet in Paris. From 1860 he lived in Paris and frequently travelled to America. Precociously talented, he was highly respected during his lifetime and was honored with medals at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1878 and 1889. His oeuvre, which is technically refined and of high quality tends to concentrate on female portraiture with the figure often placed in an exquisite interior. In this work, Madrazo depicts his model Alina as an elegant woman of the Belle Epoque enjoying a private moment in an intimate setting. His work won many prizes and patrons outside of France, notably in New York and London.