Mosè Bianchi Italian, 1840-1904

Juan and Felix Bernasconi, Milan (purchased from the artist)
Sale: Christie's, London, 27 March 1987, lot 268
Purchased by the present owner at the above sale

There is a small hole in the panel towards the lower right corner and two vertical hairline cracks running down the right hand side of the panel (visible in the catalogue illustration). There is a small spot of retouching to the green door in the background corresponding to a spot of paint loss, a few flecks within the arch to the right and some small spots by the boy's right hand, otherwise the paint surface is overall in good condition. The appearance of this work could benefit from a light surface clean. Held in a simple gilt wood frame.
"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."

The verso of the present work depicts the portrait of a lady.

The son of portraitist Giosuè Biachi, Mosè Bianchi was born in Monza and studied at the Brera Academy in Milan. His early output was largely academic, dominated by altarpieces and history painting, but even in this early phase his natural lightness of touch softened the stiff official idiom demanded by such subjects. In 1866 he was awarded the Pensionato Oggioni for his Conversion of St Paul, which enabled him to visit Venice, Rome and Paris. In Venice he came under the influence of the grand master Tiepolo, as well as contemporaries Giacomo Favretto and the Spaniard Mariano Fortuny, whose luminous palettes and playful subjects informed his work; while in Paris he admired Ernest Meissonier and the Realists. Back in Milan at the end of the decade he aligned himself firmly with the avant-garde, much like the Macchaioli had, embracing the tenets of realism and naturalism. By now, he had been discovered by the Paris art dealer Goupil; his reputation became European, and the added financial security enabled him to roam more widely in search of subjects. He remained particularly fond of Venice, however, and of the fishermen of the lagoon, and by the 1880s his treatment of these themes was increasingly free and impressionistic.

The following three works were formerly part of the extensive collection of Juan (d. 1920) and Felix (d. 1914) Bernasconi. Both were prominent in Milanese art circles at the turn of the century and bought extensively from contemporary painters, notably Bianchi, Luigi Rossi, Pompeo Mariani and Giorgio Belloni.