Giovanni Boldini

Mme. Emilia Cardona Boldini, Ferrara
Newhouse Galleries, New York
Thelma Chrysler Foy (and sold: Parke-Bernet, New York, May 13, 1959, lot 18, illustrated)
John and Frances Loeb, New York (acquired from the above sale)
Sale: The John and Frances L. Loeb Collection, Christie's, New York, May 12, 1997, lot 102
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

The Frances and John L. Loeb Collection, London, 1982, no. 59, illustrated
G. L. Marini, ed., Il valore dei dipinti italiani dell'800 e del primo'900e, Turin, 15^th edition, 1997, p. 107
Piero Dini and Francesca Dini, Giovanni Boldini, 1842-1931, Catalogo Ragionato, Turin, 2002, vol. III, p. 94, no. 149, illustrated

La Lettre was painted in 1873 soon after Boldini's permanent relocation to Paris where he was lured from Italy by the possibility of a new audience of French and foreign collectors.  Given a lucrative contract with the art dealer Adolphe Goupil, the artist was well positioned to carry out a series of small-scaled works that depicted elegantly dressed men and women in seventeenth century or, as in this case, Empire interiors. Here two lovely ladies have, just moments ago, returned from a promenade to be greeted by a letter (perhaps a Love Letter as suggested by an alternative title of the work). Hats are still firmly pinned, one woman is seated slouched, one glove off, one glove on, while her companion, shawl still wrapped around her arms, peers down at the missive. Like any genre scene, Boldini's is a delight to "read," with an intriguing narrative to be decoded. While the viewer can not decipher the faint black painted lines of the letter, the upturned eyes and ready smile of the seated figure are clever clues about its expected contents.

In his choice of subject and scale, Boldini reveals the influence of contemporary master and top seller Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissionier, whose works detailed scenes from France's past periods of wealth and prominence.  Collectors faced with the harsh realities of "modern" nineteenth century society were eager to acquire works that suggested (however unrealistically) a gentler, less wrought era of parlor dramas, expensive clothes and fine furnishings. Yet, La Lettre, reveals Boldini's personal and unique approach to the genre---particularly as it is a watercolor. He employs the medium to build a softly layered palette of lacey whites, pale blue-grays and minty greens, in contrast with  heavily saturated splashes of mustard, crimson and mahogany.  While the artist often employs his brush to create the loosely defined swags of the wallpaper design, his strict control also renders surprisingly subtle, yet powerful, elements which heighten visual interest, such as the pooling reflection of upholstery and dress in the high-gloss of the floor. Interestingly these painterly contrasts of technique and form evoke Empire period décor, which embraced Neoclassical motifs.  In comparison with the women's flounce of feathers and folds of fabric, the furniture surrounding them is symmetrical and strong of line.  The chairs are most likely the creation of a good menuisier, such as the celebrated Jacob or Bellangér. The guéridon (center table) with its glossy grained wood, bronze appliques, and Sphinx-like decorations alludes to Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and his legendary ambitions of imperial dynasty.  It is likely no accident that the pink upholstered chair in the background bears a double swan design, their touching beaks and curved necks form a heart, and reveal the influence of Empress Joséphine on decoration: she was very fond of the birds, which often served as a primary decorative motif for her state rooms at Malmaison.