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Lot Essay
Raffaelo Sorbi is revered by many as one of the most important Italian painters to emerge in the nineteenth century. Studying at the Florence Academy, he began his career by painting sun-lit, dappled landscapes, executed in the style of his fellow Florentines and forebears--Macchiaiolo artists such as Odoardo Borrani, Telemaco Signorini and Giovanni Fattori. These artists were influenced by scientific discoveries about the properties of light which were being made at the time, and the movement of which they were the standard-bearers advocated a continuous contrast of colours in their works, placing special emphasis on mood and light.
But he also absorbed the Academic traditions of Francesco Hayez, which he applied to completely different effect, in marble-smooth works (largely aimed at the French market) which depicted imagined scenes of ancient Pompeii, a narrative in classical genre painting which was popular throughout Europe, and also treated by artists such as Luigi Bazzani, Ettore Forti and, outside Italy, by Jean-Léon Gérôme and Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema.
The influence of the Macchiaiolo movement can be seen in the present work. The scene depicts an Easter procession. Sorbi's mastery of colour is illustrated here, for example in the contrast achieved between the red and blue of the skirts, the brown tones of the fence and the greens of the vegetation. It is a joyful scene, an idealised interpretation of country life so sought after by the artist's many admirers and collectors.
Sorbi's obvious talent was rewarded later in his career when the celebrated Parisian art dealer Goupil signed a contract with him in 1872 for all his works. His fame culminated with his being awarded the prestigious Commendatore del Regno, the highest Italian distinction. Next to his representation in France by Goupil, his work was brought to the attention of a wide European audience with representation by Heinemann in Munich, by Arthur Tooth & Sons in London, and by Schulte in Berlin. The present lot was acquired by a forefather of the present owner at Heinemann and has been passed down the generations in remarkable original condition.
But he also absorbed the Academic traditions of Francesco Hayez, which he applied to completely different effect, in marble-smooth works (largely aimed at the French market) which depicted imagined scenes of ancient Pompeii, a narrative in classical genre painting which was popular throughout Europe, and also treated by artists such as Luigi Bazzani, Ettore Forti and, outside Italy, by Jean-Léon Gérôme and Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema.
The influence of the Macchiaiolo movement can be seen in the present work. The scene depicts an Easter procession. Sorbi's mastery of colour is illustrated here, for example in the contrast achieved between the red and blue of the skirts, the brown tones of the fence and the greens of the vegetation. It is a joyful scene, an idealised interpretation of country life so sought after by the artist's many admirers and collectors.
Sorbi's obvious talent was rewarded later in his career when the celebrated Parisian art dealer Goupil signed a contract with him in 1872 for all his works. His fame culminated with his being awarded the prestigious Commendatore del Regno, the highest Italian distinction. Next to his representation in France by Goupil, his work was brought to the attention of a wide European audience with representation by Heinemann in Munich, by Arthur Tooth & Sons in London, and by Schulte in Berlin. The present lot was acquired by a forefather of the present owner at Heinemann and has been passed down the generations in remarkable original condition.