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Lot Essay
After the painting Bella Simonetta by Sandro Botticelli in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence.
Traditionally the sitter has been identified as Simonetta Cattaneo (1453-1476), the Genoese noblewoman who married the Florentine Marco Vespucci in 1469 and was loved by Giuliano de’Doctors. It is a work of refinement, exulting beauty and modesty in equal measure.
Gustave Soulier observes that it was only once, in Italy, that Lévy-Dhurmer chose to study an old master in detail, returning with this admirable reproduction of Bella Simonetta 'as a way for him to get to know Botticelli better (op. cit., p. 121).
Lévy-Dhurmer's time in Italy is seen as one of the determining influences on his development as an artist. It is around this time that he was exposed to masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance. His interest in Symbolism as a movement, his dedication to his career as an artist and his move towards pastels as his favoured medium were all fostered during this time period.
Bella Simonetta appears to influence Lévy-Dhurmer’s œurve. This is most apparent in his re-interpretation of Bella Simonetta in his 1896 work La Femme à la médaille (pastel on paper, Musée d'Orsay). The Musée d'Orsay picture repeats a similar profile composition for the portrait, but brings a renewed vitality to the subject by focusing on medallion around the sitter’s neck.
We are grateful to Jean-David Jumeau-Lafond for his assistance in cataloguing the present lot. A certificate from Jean-David Jumeau-Lafond dated 10 November 2023 accompanies this lot.
Traditionally the sitter has been identified as Simonetta Cattaneo (1453-1476), the Genoese noblewoman who married the Florentine Marco Vespucci in 1469 and was loved by Giuliano de’Doctors. It is a work of refinement, exulting beauty and modesty in equal measure.
Gustave Soulier observes that it was only once, in Italy, that Lévy-Dhurmer chose to study an old master in detail, returning with this admirable reproduction of Bella Simonetta 'as a way for him to get to know Botticelli better (op. cit., p. 121).
Lévy-Dhurmer's time in Italy is seen as one of the determining influences on his development as an artist. It is around this time that he was exposed to masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance. His interest in Symbolism as a movement, his dedication to his career as an artist and his move towards pastels as his favoured medium were all fostered during this time period.
Bella Simonetta appears to influence Lévy-Dhurmer’s œurve. This is most apparent in his re-interpretation of Bella Simonetta in his 1896 work La Femme à la médaille (pastel on paper, Musée d'Orsay). The Musée d'Orsay picture repeats a similar profile composition for the portrait, but brings a renewed vitality to the subject by focusing on medallion around the sitter’s neck.
We are grateful to Jean-David Jumeau-Lafond for his assistance in cataloguing the present lot. A certificate from Jean-David Jumeau-Lafond dated 10 November 2023 accompanies this lot.