This exquisite late-19th-century watercolour by Italian artist Giuseppe Signorini (1857-1932) depicts two art connoisseurs musing over an old master engraving in a splendid palatial setting. Hailing from Rome, Signorini was a distinguished watercolourist famed for his precise figurative works.
Dressed in fashions befitting the mid-18th century, two enlightened gentlemen browse a fine portfolio of drawings and prints. It’s a meeting of minds, an exchange of views between two aficionados. Behind them, an enchanting 17th-century tapestry adorns the back wall while the Venus de Milo stands imperiously upon a plinth.
One of the finest watercolourists of his generation, Signorini was a master draughtsman, producing an array of meticulously handled works. He trained at the revered Accademia di San Luca and undertook further tuition with Aurelio Tiratelli (1842-1900). His training was focused on studying the masters of antiquity, particularly via classical statues, in an effort to hone his drawing ability. Underpinning his achievements in watercolour was his superior nous with a pencil.
Specialising in portraits and ‘costume paintings’ as we see here, he rapidly became an artist in demand and was soon shown at the illustrious Paris Salon. Having spent a great deal of his time in the French capital, he established an atelier there in around 1899, while continuing to maintain his studio in Rome.
His other subjects included depictions of jovial cardinals gathering in lavish interiors and ‘orientalist’ scenes abundant with a profusion of colour. A scholar in his own right, he owned a vast cabinet of outfits, Islamic art, trinkets and textiles from which to draw inspiration. In 1888, L'Illustrazione Popolare stated: “The vases, the musical instruments, and the arabesque fabrics are cared for with the love of those who know the value of the details.” While L'Illustrazione Italiana proclaimed: “One cannot help but admire the arrangement and composition which places the majestic figure in the most suitable environment.”
Signorini spent 33 years in Paris where he developed a significant reputation, winning prizes in 1900 and 1913. Various national galleries acquired his works and he became particularly admired in North America.
He’s represented at the British Museum, the Met, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Brooklyn Museum, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
Signed in the lower right, inscribed ‘Paris’ and held within a gilt frame, which is probably original.
Learn more about Giuseppe Signorini in our directory.
Medium: Watercolour with bodycolour on paper
Overall size: 20” x 26” / 51cm x 67cm
Year of creation: c. 1890
Labels & Inscriptions: Art dealer's label.
Provenance: 19th Century Continental Pictures, Watercolours And Drawings, Christie’s, London, 18 March 1994, lot 185 (£2,000) / British Pictures and 19th Century Continental Pictures, Sotheby's, 24 November 1999, lot 544 (£2,700) / Private collection, UK.
Condition: Very presentable. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear.
Artist’s auction maximum: £29,793 for ‘Prayer at the Mosque’, Watercolour on paper, Sun City, USA, 2021.
Our reference: BRV1917
