Emiliano di Cavalcanti (1897-1967)

Sale: Christie's, New York, Latin American Art, November 19, 2007, lot 35, illustrated in color

This painting is in beautiful state. The canvas is still on its original stretcher. There is one small reinforcement on the reverse addressing a tiny loss in the table top to the immediate right of the figure's cheek. The paint layer has a slight tone to it which should not be mistaken for old varnish and we recommend that the painting be hung as is. Under ultraviolet light there is only the small retouching mentioned above. The painting is in lovely condition. This condition report has been provided courtesy of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.
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.

"Like Di [Cavalcanti], Rio is fat, baroque, sensual, luscious. As for the rest, and finally, the mulatto women. Ah, the mulatto women!..In no other Brazilian artist have the mulatto women received so high and dignified pictorial treatment! No paternalism, no spite. Di has given them the dignity of a Rennaissance Madonna, he has madonnized our mulatto Women, which is not the same thing as mulattizing the Madonna..."

Frederico de Morais, Di Cavalcanti, Um Perfeito Carioca, Caixa Cultural, Rio de Jainero, 2006, p. 115

Mulata sentadana frente da mesa com pandeiro (Woman Sitting in Front of the Table with Tambourine) combines two of Di Cavalcanti's favorite subject matters:  the Brazilian mulata, who is the product of a country that is a melting pot of the European, African and indigenous cultures, and the famous Brazilian samba, a musical genre that has the pandeiro (tambourine) as its icon.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Di Cavalcanti was a poet, writer, journalist, caricaturist, illustrator and, most importantly, a Bohemian who sought inspiration in the cultural life of his country.  His social life ranged from upper class social gatherings to the brothels and samba schools of Lapa, a neighborhood in downtown Rio.  However, it was in the latter that he found inspiration for his work.

In the present work, Di Cavalcanti depicts a mulata sitting in a solemn posture, hands gently lying on her knees, her dress and accessories accentuating her beauty.  A tambourine lies behind her on a table, alluding to the samba and its roots in Brazilian culture.  The painting is imbued with sensuality and a languid atmosphere, characteristics that the artist achieves not only through his depiction of the mulata, but in his treatment and use of color.  Indeed, Di Cavalcanti's mulatas are the tropical and sensual counterparts of Picasso's femmes, whom the artist befriended during his first sojourn in Paris in the 1920s.

An established artist in his home country, Di Cavalcanti was awarded the prize of best painter at the Second São Paulo Biennial in 1953, alongside Alfredo Volpi.  The present work was painted one year later, the same year in which he was further honored with a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro.