Charles Edward Perugini

London, Mitchell Galleries;
Private collection;
Sotheby's, 13 December 2005, lot 18, where purchased by the present owners

STRUCTURE: This picture appears to be unlined and in very good condition with bright colouring and fine detail throughout. There is very fine craquelure on the girl's right sleeve and the upper and lower stretcher-bars have left faint imprints in the paint surface. However this is only visible upon close inspection. The paint surface appears to be clean and stable throughout and the picture will need no attention before hanging. UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT: There are two small areas of fine retouching behind the girl's head and a few tiny retouchings on her check. There is also a very small area approximately 2 inches in front of the girl's left eye. These retouchings are very minor and have been very well executed. FRAME: Contained in an attractive gilt frame with laurel decoration.
"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."

Katherine (usually called 'Kate') Elizabeth Macready Perugini (1839-1929) was the daughter of Charles Dickens and the widow of the Pre-Raphaelite painter Charles Allston Collins, who had died in 1873. Kate Perugini was herself a painter of genre and figure subjects, and one who enjoyed friendly relations with a number of fellow-artists and collectors. Kate was strikingly beautiful, with classical features and lustrous dark hair which she usually wore with a central parting and gathered at the back of her neck. John Everett Millais painted Kate on several occasions, notably as the model for the female figure in his painting The Black Brunswicker (National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside; Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight), in 1860, and later for a portrait that he exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1881. Perugini himself seems to have taken pleasure in painting her, both in modern-life and historical guises. One of the most elaborate of these works – which combine accuracy of likeness with an historical flavour – is a painting entitled Doubt (Christie’s, London, 19 November 1965, lot 20) – in which Kate appears with her sister Mollie.

Perugini’s style of painting, which is softly naturalistic and fluent, with a particular feeling for the textures of skin, cloth and marble, owes much to the example of Leighton who he first met when he was fifteen. Like his mentor, Perugini succeeds in making his compositions harmonious and unified, and with a glowing quality of light.