19 - THEODORE JACQUES RALLI (1852–1909)

THEODORE JACQUES RALLI (1852–1909) The Model’s Session Signed and dated RALLI 1874 (lower left) oil on canvas 33 × 41 cm. Painted in 1874 oil on canvas 12.99 × 16.14 in. Footnotes: Provenance Acquired by the present owner’s grandfather in Liverpool, UK, circa 1925–1935, and has remained in the family ever since. Private collection, UK. Exhibitions Liverpool, Liverpool Autumn Exhibition of Modern Pictures, Free Public Library and Museum, 1875 (listed under the title “Study from life”). Literature The Theodore Ralli Photographic Archive, B, 9 (illustrated). M. Katsanaki, The Painter Theodore Ralli (1852–1909) and His Work, doctoral dissertation, University of Paris I – Panthéon-Sorbonne, 2007, no. 5, p. 112. M. Palioura, The Painting Oeuvre of Theodoros Ralli (1852–1909), doctoral dissertation, University of Athens, Athens 2008, no. 296, vol. I, pp. 211 (discussed), 301 (cataloged), vol. II, fig. 296 (illustrated). M. Katsanaki, Theodore Ralli, A.G. Leventis Foundation - A.G. Leventis Gallery, Athens 2018, p. 346, no. 2 (cataloged), p. 56 (discussed), p. 57 (illustrated). In 1875, Ralli exhibited at the Autumn Exhibition of Modern Pictures held at Liverpool’s Free Public Library and Museum. The first of the two works he showed there is referred to in the exhibition catalog as *Study from life*, and documented in the artist’s archive under the title *La séance du modèle*. In her monograph on Ralli, art historian M. Katsanaki describes the painting as depicting “an intriguing studio scene: the painter posed his model lying on her back, with her left hand under her hair and her head turned the other way, as if reclining in a sensual position; a gossamer black cloth covering only the lower part of her body. Ralli also attended to the setting and lighting—which focuses on the woman’s bare torso—by using a piece of white fabric tied with thin string to the walls and ceiling, while another red piece, placed in front of the decorative tapestry, serves as a backdrop. The model is lying on a portable wooden bed, covered with colored fabrics. The painter, wearing his signature beret and holding his palette and paintbrush, sits across from the model and proceeds to paint the blonde woman at rest on a small canvas, which is already set in a gold frame on his easel. The studio is spacious and contains various decorative and utilitarian elements, such as the mirror and the female bust on the mantelpiece, the glowing heating stove, and the small paintings hanging on the wall.'1 Bathed in the flooding light, the model’s radiant nudity stands in stark contrast to the dark interior on the left and the dimly lit images on the walls, accentuating a sense of suggestive eroticism. It can be argued that the painting conveys a message of languor and sensuality, objectifying the female body to indulge the voyeuristic gaze of the male viewer. Furthermore, the power dynamics inherent in the juxtaposition of a fully clothed male painter with a nude female sitter may also invite critical scrutiny. This gendered choreography is heightened by the artist’s sophisticated handling of pictorial elements. His distinctive elegance, discretion, and refined palette are amply displayed. Demonstrating astonishing virtuosity, a skillful use of subtle chiaroscuro, and painstaking attention to detail, Ralli closely follows in the footsteps of his teacher Jean-Léon Gérôme. At the same time, the organization and treatment of the interior space reveal an appreciation for the structural achievements of 17th-century Dutch realists. Relying on a balanced composition, harmonious color values, and a meticulous rendering of form, Ralli fuses his staged narrative into a seductive work of understated elegance. 1. M. Katsanaki, *Theodore Ralli*, A.G. Leventis Foundation – A.G. Leventis Gallery, Athens 2018, p. 56. This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: * * VAT on imported items at the preferential rate (currently 5.5%) on the hammer price and buyer’s premium for works of art, collectibles, and antiques if the item remains within the EU. VAT on imported items at the reduced rate (currently 5.5%) applied to the hammer price and buyer’s premium for works of art, collectibles, and antiques, provided the item remains within the European Union. For further information on this lot, please visit Bonhams.com