Young Italian in the mirror
Attributed to Félix Giacotti
Oil on canvas, 19th century
Contemporary golden wooden frame
Elegant painting in 19th century academic style depicting a young Italian woman caught in a moment of intimate everyday life as she collects her hair in front of the mirror. The figure, rendered in half-size and set with refined compositional balance, emerges from a dark and atmospheric background which enhances the delicate complexion and the chromatic preciousness of the traditional dress.
The work stands out for the pictorial quality of the luminous rendering: the wide white sleeves, treated with soft chiaroscuro passages, contrast harmoniously with the deep tones of crimson red and black of the dress. The lowered gaze and the spontaneous pose give the scene an intimate and sentimental dimension, typical of genre painting from the Franco-Italian area of the second half of the 19th century.
Of particular antiquarian interest are the refined theatrical setting, the tonal balance of the whole and the finely carved golden frame, perfectly consistent with the era of the painting. The work features a soft and accurate brushstroke, with attention to the details of the costume and the psychological rendering of the female figure.
Signed “Giacometti” on the bottom right, the painting can be traced back to the production of Félix Giacootti, an artist known for his elegant compositions and refined interpretation of the female figure.
Technique: oil on canvas
Period: 19th century
Provenance: European private collection
Conditions: good general state of conservation; homogeneous and easily readable pictorial surface.
Frame: important gilded and carved wooden frame, contemporary with the painting.
Félix Giacomotti was a well-known nineteenth-century French painter, born in Quingey in 1828 to a family of Italian origin. Trained in the Parisian academic environment, he was a student of François-Édouard Picot and worked in the full artistic climate of the Second Empire and the Third French Republic.
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SILVER Seller in Oristano, Italia
