Lot Essay
Soulacroix entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1845, and made his Salon debut in 1849. Early in his career he moved to Florence, where he worked among a group of genre painters, including Rafael Sorbi and Ettore Forti, who were inspired by the excavations at Pompeii and images of court society.
The 19th century saw the first instances of "classical genre," which presented a popular vision of the ancient world concerned with domestic events, not historical ones. Soulacroix sets his four ladies on a marble terrace with a distinctly Mediterranean feel. The surroundings are not only luxurious, but exotic, with white-washed buildings set in the distant sunset. The scene is of Parisian style infused into a classicized setting, and the viewer was meant to identify with the characters in a type of intimate, courtly fantasy. Indeed, the enormous commercial demand for Soulacroix's pictures must have reflected the success with which he charmed his audience.
The 19th century saw the first instances of "classical genre," which presented a popular vision of the ancient world concerned with domestic events, not historical ones. Soulacroix sets his four ladies on a marble terrace with a distinctly Mediterranean feel. The surroundings are not only luxurious, but exotic, with white-washed buildings set in the distant sunset. The scene is of Parisian style infused into a classicized setting, and the viewer was meant to identify with the characters in a type of intimate, courtly fantasy. Indeed, the enormous commercial demand for Soulacroix's pictures must have reflected the success with which he charmed his audience.