ADOLFO FERAGUTTI-VISCONTI | Young women in an interior

This work is in good condition. The artist's panel is uncradled, flat, even and ensuring a stable support. As just visible in the catalogue illustration, there are some localised small areas of fine drying craquelure in the blue pigments near the right edge of the composition, and in the white pigments in the girl's back. Ultra-violet light reveals notably a horizontal band of retouching near the centre of the lower edge, a second one parallel to this near the upper edge, and some small scattered spots. The colours are less yellow overall in reality than in the catalogue illustration, and subtler.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Painter native from Ticino - he was born in Pura, which he often proudly recalls by adding the name of his hometown to his signature -, Adolfo Feragutti Visconti spends the majority of his career in Italy, practicing every genre of painting with a modern and sketchy style that makes him famous in the years 1880-1890, and  allows him to win the Prince Umberto Prize in 1891. Trained in Milan, he is close to the Scapigliatura movement, a literary and artistic pole of the Milanese modernity, and he is one of the first members of the famous association Famiglia Artistica. The picture presented here shows three friends chatting together, however the rather informal dress of the girl on the right who hands a letter to a thoughtful young woman wearing black, gives the meaning of the scene some ambiguity and invites us to wonder about the object of their conversation.