1068 - GIOVANNI BOLDINI (Ferrara, 1842 – Paris, 1931) – Portrait of the Marchioness Franzosi (1892)

GIOVANNI BOLDINI (Ferrara, 1842 – Paris, 1931) – Portrait of the Marchioness Franzosi (1892) Oil on panel. Dimensions: 21.5 × 14 cm. Signed on the reverse. An important preparatory study for the celebrated Portrait of the Marchesa Franzosi, painted by Giovanni Boldini in 1892, now an oil on canvas (116 × 86 cm). Executed with a rapid, vibrant, and extraordinarily confident brushstroke, this sketch reflects the creative process of one of the most prestigious portrait painters of the Belle Époque, capturing with great spontaneity the pose, psychology, and character of the model prior to the execution of the final composition. The formal synthesis, the freedom of the line, and the refined chromatic sensitivity demonstrate Boldini’s unmistakable style, whose painting revolutionized European aristocratic portraiture through a dynamic, elegant, and highly modern approach. This work is of considerable historical and artistic interest, documenting an essential phase of the painter’s creative process and bearing a direct relation to one of his best-known compositions from the late 19th century. Bibliography: Enrico Piceni, *Boldini*, p. 31, which reproduces the definitive version of the *Ritratto della Marchesa Franzosi* (1892), oil on canvas, 116 × 86 cm. It is in good condition. Lot is located in an international warehouse (outside the EU). For shipments to the European Union, import duties and/or taxes will apply and are the responsibility of the buyer.