(Venice 1814–1917 Paris)
A girl with a doll, signed Zandomeneghi, pastel on paper laid down on board, 45 x 38 cm, framed, (GG)

Provenance:
Durand-Ruel Collection, Paris;
Alberto Baccolini Collection, Buenos Aires; Galleria Guglielmi, 1951, no. 48;
Private Collection, Italy.

Catalogued in:
Exhibition catalogue with a foreword by Enrico Somare, Opere inedite dell’Ottocento nella raccolta Alberto Baccolini, Galleria Guglielmi, Milan 1951, lot 24.

Catalogued and illustrated in:
Enrico Piceni, catalogue raisonné Zandomeneghi, Bramante ed., Milan 1967, no. 295.

Exhibited:
Galleria Guglielmi, Milan, 1951.

Born in Venice, Zandomeneghi was associated with the Macchiaioli in Florence in 1862-1874, after which he moved to Paris. In the late 1870s he frequented the Café de la Nouvelle-Athènes, meeting Degas and Pissaro. His conversion to Impressionism came gradually when he met Durand-Ruel. He excelled in the portrayal of women reading, playing with children and chattering. His universe was, indeed, the women engaged in their daily activities. A masculine presence is rarely felt in his work.
He was greatly admired by the art critic of the time, Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans (1848-1907), for his precise technique and use of vibrant colours. Pastel was his favourite medium from the 1890s.
A young girl seen from the profile, such as the present lot, is a motif found in many of Zandomeneghi’s works.