19 - THEODORE JACQUES RALLI (1852-1909)

THEODORE JACQUES RALLI (1852-1909) La séance du modèle Signé et daté RALLI 1874 (en bas à gauche) huile sur toile 33 x 41cm. Peint en 1874 oil on canvas 12.99 × 16.14 in. Footnotes: Provenance Acquired by the present owner's grandfather in Liverpool, UK, circa 1925-1935, thence by family descent. 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, Le PeintreTheodore Rall (1852-1909) et son Œuvre, doctoral dissertation, Université 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 (catalogued), vol. II, fig. 296 (illustrated). M. Katsanaki, Theodore Ralli, A.G. Leventis Foundation - A.G. Leventis Gallery, Athens 2018, p. 346, no. 2 (catalogued), 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 catalogue 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 canvas 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 cover only the lower part of her body. Ralli also tended to the setting and the lighting, which centres on the woman's bare torso, by using a piece of white fabric, tied with thin string to the walls and the ceiling, while another red one, placed in front of the decorative tapestry, acts as a backdrop. The model is lying on a portable wooden bed, covered with coloured 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 in repose on a small-sized canvas, which is already inside a gold frame on his easel. The studio is spacious and contains certain 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 Flooded by the invading light, the model's glowing nudity strongly contrasts with 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 picture conveys a message of languor and sensuousness, objectifying the female body to indulge the voyeuristic gaze of the male viewer. Furthermore, the power dynamics inherent in the juxtaposition of a fully dressed male painter with an exposed female sitter may also invite critical scrutiny. This gendered choreography is heightened by the artist's sophisticated handling of pictorial issues. His distinctive elegance, discretion and refined palette are amply displayed. Demonstrating astonishing virtuosity, a skilful use of subtle chiaroscuro, and painstaking attention to detail, Ralli follows closely in the footsteps of his teacher Jean-Léon Gérôme. Concurrently, the organization and handling of the interior space reveal an appreciation for the structural achievements of 17th-century Dutch realists. Relying on a balanced composition, harmonious colour values, and a meticulous rendering of form, Ralli fuses his staged narrative material into a seductive work of discreet 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 Hammer price and Buyer's Premium for artworks, collectibles and antiques if the item remains in EU. TVA sur les objets importés au taux réduit (actuellement 5,5 %) appliquée au prix d'adjudication et à la commission acheteur pour les œuvres d'art, objets de collection et antiquités, dans le cas où l'objet reste dans l'Union européenne. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com