Eugen von Blaas

Private Collection, Mexico
Thence by descent

Thomas Wassibauer, Eugen von Blaas, Das Werk, Hildesheim, 2005, p. 131, no. 117, illustrated

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This work is in very good condition. The canvas has an effective lining applied with a non-wax adhesive. There are only a few dots of retouching beneath the chin of the standing girl with the white blouse and in the nose of the girl in the dark blouse behind her, and a few retouches on the upper right edge. The work should be hung in its current state.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Celebrated for his evocative paintings of the pleasures and pastimes of Venetian youth, Eugen von Blaas’ multi-figural compositions set in secluded courtyards appeared in the artist’s oeuvre from the 1880s. Flirtation is notable in its large scale, a relatively rare choice for his genre scenes, and until recently has been known only from a black and white photograph. Long untraced, this work has remained in a Mexican private collection for decades. Flirtation depicts three young women gathered around a vera da pozzo, the stone structure that protects the opening of a well. The carefully observed coat of arms represents the wealthy Venetian family who donated the well to the city, as was the case with many others dotted around numerous courtyards and public spaces. The women bring copper pots to gather drinking water and at the same time draw the attention of a flirtatious, barefoot suitor, who approaches with flower in hand.

The figures in this expansive composition, with their brightly colored costumes, are staged as if in an opera. The old city stands as a fitting backdrop, resolute and unchanging, while it's lively people come and go down it's centuries-old cobblestone streets, through it's doorways and to it's hidden courtyards. As the artist's biographer describes, “[von Blaas] contrasted the decaying grandeur of old Venetian stone with fresh flowers and fruit… his young people live their lives within the old walls of a still-important city, and become links in an apparently endless chain of generations who carry on the Venetian traditions and way of life” (Wassibauer, p. 19).