Giovanni Boldini

Woodbury G. Langdon (1849-1919) and Sophia Elizabeth Montgomery Langdon (1857-1941), New York (probably acquired in the early twentith century and possibly by descent)
Thence by descent through the family

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This work has been recently restored and should be hung in its current condition. The only retouches are down the left and right edges, which mainly serve to subdue the white original surround so that the work can fit in its frame. There are no retouches to the main body of the work.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

While the 1870s marked a stylistic shift in Boldini’s work toward lavish eighteenth century scenes, it simultaneously reinforced his interest in contemporary subjects depicted in an intimate format, like  Woman at the Piano. In the carefully-organized composition, expressive brushwork invigorates the scene: the horizontal swipes that make up the cluttered pile of musical scores atop the piano, a loose arrangement of flowers, and the pearly gray Meissen cockatoo. 

While it has yet to be determined exactly when Woman at the Piano came to the United States, it has long been held by generations of the Langdon family, themselves descendants of Dorthea Astor, daughter of the great entrepreneur and art collector, John Jacob Astor.