Portrait of a Lady by Boldini in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, June 2018

Portrait of a Lady (Primary Title)

Giovanni Boldini, Italian, 1842 - 1931 (Artist)

Date: ca. 1885

Culture: Italian

Category: Paintings

Medium: Oil on panel

Collection: European Art

Dimensions: Framed: 27 3/4 × 21 1/4 in. (70.49 × 53.98 cm)

Object Number: 2017.386

Born in Ferrara, Giovanni Boldini practiced with a Realist group in Italy called the Macchiaioli (blot painters) before moving to Paris in 1871. There he was known for his bold portraits of high society and small sketch-like paintings of contemporary life. Boldini did not consider himself an Impressionist and never exhibited with those artists, although he was friends with Edgar Degas. This very charming study of a head may represent the contemporary French actress Gabrielle-Charlotte Reju, known professionally by the stage name Gabrielle Réjane.

Text from: www.vmfa.museum/piction/6027262-158872294