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Lot Essay
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.
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.