Giovanni Boldini

Hinged to the mount at the upper margin. Light staining around the edges of the sheet recto and verso. Otherwise in very good condition; the colors are vibrant and strong.
"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."

In addition to celebrated portraits of those who sat for him in his Paris studio, Boldini, in the mid-1880s, turned to the objects around him for inspiration.  In his watercolors, scattered paint brushes, plaster busts, vases of flowers and pieces of furniture from his studio appear again and again, important not for their function but their aesthetic possibilities. In the present work, arranged casually and artfully, the overturned sugar bowl (which also appears in his The Corner of the Painter’s Table, circa 1897, Museo Boldini, Ferrara) and porcelain basket filled with shiny cherries dominate the compositional space -- the repeated, curvilinear forms enhancing the tactility of the subject, and the single spilled fruit cropped at the center right edge providing a sense of movement.  Every element of the work demonstrates Boldini’s brilliant confidence with the medium; he captures the precise details of the still-life with broader strokes of watercolor and ingeniously leaves the white paper exposed to create the gleam of the sugar bowl’s silver surface and slatted design of the basket.     

We would like to thank the Boldini- De Nittis- Zandomeneghi Archives for kindly confirming the authenticity of this lot, which is referenced under Archiving Certificate n. 418675 issued on December 18, 2017. 

We would like to thank Francesca Dini for kindly authenticating this lot which will be included in the appendix to the Boldini catalogue raisonné currently in preparation.