Federico Zandomeneghi

With Durand-Ruel, Paris;

Private Collection;

With Enrico Gallerie, Milan;

Where acquired by the present owner, in 2016.

E. Piceni, Zandomeneghi, Milan 1967, no. 581, repr.;

E. Piceni, Zandomeneghi, Milan 1991, no. 581 ;

C. Testi, M. Grazia Piceni and E. Piceni, Federico Zandomeneghi, catalogo generale, nuova edizione aggiornata e ampliata, Milan 2006, p. 371, cat. no. 805, repr.

Born in Venice, Zandomeneghi was admitted to the Accademia in 1856, before moving to Florence. There he came across the Macchiaioli, with whom he began to paint from life, a practice that was then still unusual. The artist then pursued his career in Paris, where he settled permanently in 1874, linking up with the Impressionists and exhibiting with them four times. In particular, he became friends with Edgar Degas, who introduced him to the pastel technique in the 1880s – a practice Zandomeneghi became especially fond of.

Dated 1913, the present Model at Rest shows the mastery the artist had developed in just a few years. The simple and intimate composition is rendered with a light touch, using a few strokes of pastel deftly juxtaposed. The face of the young woman, whose outline has skilfully been made to stand out from the unified background, is modelled by means of a play of light and shadow, highlighted with subtle red touches. Her white dress, with its blue shadows, contrasts with the vivid background in shades of green and yellow.

Shown in a private moment of rest, underlining the composition’s charm, the young woman rests her head gently on her arms. The peaceful pose, set against the vibrant pastel, makes this composition, which the artist painted several times, one of his most exquisite and appealing works.