Die neugierige Jungfer

Eugène de Blaas was born in Albano, near Rome, to Austrian parents. The artist was both son and pupil of Karl von Blaas, a professor at the Roman and the Venetian Academy. Although Eugène De Blaas exhibited frequently in London, he was mainly inspired by the genre subjects surrounding him in his native Italy. He would often portray Venetian fishermen and fisherwomen, young men making welcome overtures to groups of ladies and simple, contented domestic scenes.

In the present lot the playful theme of the elegant Venetian girl, so dominant in the oeuvre of the artist is self-evident. The languid gaze of this seductive Mediterranean woman permeates the composition and forces the spectator to have a second and third glance.