Giovanni Boldini

Arthur Tooth & Sons, Paris (acquired directly from the artist in circa 1875)
Possibly, Arthur Tooth & Sons, London (transferred from the above in circa 1879)
Private Collection, Buenos Aires
Thence by descent to the present owner

Possibly, London, Arthur Tooth & Sons, Winter Exhibition, no. 74 (as On the Terrace, Rome)

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This beautiful painting has most likely never been cleaned. It is in beautiful state. The panel is flat and the paint layer is stable. The painting is considerably dirty and would clean quite dramatically if required yet the picture could also be hung as is. It should be noted that the frame seems to cut off a fair amount of the painting, particularly on the right side.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Like his fellow Italian ex-patriate artists Giuseppe De Nittis and Federico Zandomeneghi, Giovanni Boldini arrived in the thriving art capital of Paris in 1871. He came to France following a most lucrative sojourn in London, where he gained entrance to the highest echelons of society producing portraits in the grand tradition of Reynolds, Gainsborough and Romney. As in London, Boldini experienced immediate success in Paris, a culturally vivacious and peripatetic city which fueled his imagination and offered him the friendship of artists as diverse as Edgar Degas, John Singer Sargent, Paul Helleu, Edouard Manet, and Jean-Léon Gérôme, among others. Most of his Paris paintings from the early to mid-1870s, reveal the strong influence of Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier and the Macchiaioli movement of his native Italy. Small in scale and jewel-like, these paintings appealed to new American and European collectors, and Boldini's dealer Adolphe Goupil was eager to accommodate this ready market. His flamboyant style was quickly appreciated by an increasingly fashion-conscious society, not only in France, but throughout Europe. It is no wonder that the legendary art historian and art connoisseur Bernard Berenson saw Boldini as the quintessential Belle Époque painter: "As expert on 'society,' Boldini perfectly captured the female elegance of this era" (Berenson, Giorni d'autunno in Romagna, Pellegrinaggi d'Arte, 1958).

Although On the Terrace is not dated, the composition and execution align it with a series of small paintings painted between 1872-1874 depicting young women in landscapes or garden settings. The present work was possibly exhibited at Arthur Tooth's 1879 Winter Exhibition in London as On the Terrace, Rome (no. 74). Giovanni's brother Giuseppe lived in Rome and while Giovanni Boldini did visit his brother, it's difficult to ascertain exactly when and for how long. In On the Terrace, Boldini's signature brushwork makes a grand impression despite the work's diminutive scale. Two beautiful young ladies enjoy the outdoor air on their balcony, one reading a letter as the other looks on. Boldini expertly captures the numerous ruffles and intricate lace of their dresses and even the reader's grey pearl earring and gold cuff bracelet sparkle in the daylight.  Perhaps the content of the letter has caused the seated woman to start up from her chair, revealing a vibrant ruby red throw. While Boldini's interest in the elegant young women is undeniable, the brilliance of his bravado brushwork is best revealed in his approach to the third character in this domestic scene: the climbing roses, whose lush, winding stems seem to overtake the otherwise simple setting. Boldini's dashes of pigment, both thoughtful and spontaneous, impart a tenuous energy to the composition. Vibrant strokes of green and yellow seem to tumble down the wrought-iron terrace and, just behind, climb frenetically up the plain brick exterior, producing a rich medley of light and volume. Soft yet saturated dabs of pink punctuate the density of the green, as the roses are shown in various states of bloom. In this vibrant, unkempt mass of roses, Boldini truly captures the wonder of the natural world, rendering a beauty that is neither manicured nor ordered, yet undeniable in its appeal.

As the great American writer and doyenne of Parisian artistic and literary circles Gertrude Stein presciently noted, "Once time has established values in their correct order, Boldini will be recognized as the greatest painter of the last century. The New school (of painting) derives from him, as he was the first to simplify lines and planes" (Vito Doria, Il Genio di Boldini, Bologna, n.d., p. 120).