Theodoros Ralli

Acquired by the father of the previous owner in Paris circa 1950
Sale: Sotheby's, London, 22 May 2006, lot 7
Purchased from the above sale by the present owner

Many of Ralli's genre paintings can be viewed as nostalgic recollections of his homeland and its customs. The present work is a wonderful example of Ralli's mastery of human form, and of his meticulous attention to detail and sensuous and romantic disposition. Painted with great care, Ralli's young laundress is depicted in the foreground, carefully rolling up her sleeves and about to begin a day's work. Standing in an open courtyard she is surrounded by the tools of her trade: a large tub, the laundry and a ewer with hot water. 

Ralli nurtured a lifelong love and appreciation for the everyday life which he depicted in his oeuvre. According to Andreas Ioannou, 'His way of painting was meticulous, his art austere... yet his is an art filled with emotion and lyricism. One could call it "idealistic mysticism." He is moved by the themes he depicts, not by their colour' (A. Ioannou, Greek Painting, Athens, 1974, p. 244).

A watercolour version of the present work was sold at Sotheby's London, 18 June 1986 (fig. 1).

FIG. 1, Theodoros Ralli, A Greek Woman at a Tub, watercolour, sold: Sotheby's London, 18 June 1986, lot 465
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