Italienne à la mandoline

细节

William Adolphe Bouguereau (French, 1825-1905)
Italienne à la mandoline
signed and dated 'W-Bougereau 1870' (upper left)
oil on canvas
39½ x 31¾ in. (100.3 x 83.2 cm)
Painted in 1870

来源

with Goupil et Cie, Paris, 1870 (acquired directly from the artist).
with Knoedler & Co., New York, 1871.
with Goupil et Cie, Paris, 1878.
with Knoedler & Co., New York, 1878.
Thomas Hitchcok, USA.
Anonymous sale, American Art Association, New York, 19-20 March 1914, lot 137.
H. S. Harkness.

出版

C. Vendryès, Dictionnaire illustré des Beaux-Arts: Bouguereau, Paris, 1885, p.45.
M. Vachon, W. Bouguerear, Paris-Lahure, 1900, p. 150, under the erronous title "Italienne à la mandoline".
M. S. Walker,William Bouguereau-A Summary Catalogue of the Paintings, Borghi & Co, New York, 1991, p. 68.

拍品专文

Male images are extremely rare in the oeuvre of William Bouguereau. It is possible that this is due to the difficult relationship the artist had with his own father, a true Pater familias, who was tyrannical and severe.

The model in L'Italien à la mandoline appears in three other works from the early 70s: Pifferano, 1870; Pifferano, 1874, and Enfant Italien tenant une croute de pain. Although painted in what is regarded as the artist's best period, this work has remained relatively unknown. It was never photographed or reproduced in the artist's lifetime nor by Goupil.

We are grateful to Damien Bartoli for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.

This work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné currently being prepared by Damien Bartoli with the assistance of Fred Ross, the Bouguereau Committee and the Art Renewal Center.