(Albano 1843–1931 Venice)
Portrait of Madame Lebreton, signed, dated Eug: de Blaas 1908,
oil on canvas, 225 x 116 cm, framed

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Exhibited:
Venice, La Biennale di Venezia, VIII International Art Exhibition 22 April -
31 October 1909, Room 27, no. 6.

Catalogued and illustrated in:
Exhibition catalogue VIII Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte della Città di Venezia, Venice 1909, p. 110, no. 6; Thomas Wassibauer, Eugen von Blaas 1843–1931.
Das Werk. Catalogue Raisonné: Skizzen, Aquarelle, Gemälde, Hildesheim 2005,
p. 138, no. 165.

The Antonini family had been at the helm of the Canapificio Veneto since 1889, which enjoyed great expansion all over the world until 1920. Maria, portrayed here, was the favourite daughter of Andrea Antonini, the great 20th-century industrialist who had the sumptuous Villa Antonini in Crocetta built in her honour. The property was completed at the beginning of 1900. Maria played an active role in the family, organizing parties and running the house. She also played a key part in the family business and, in 1908, she married the lawyer Alberto Lebreton of Treviso who took over the reins of the company following his father-in-law’s long illness.

This portrait by Eugen von Blaas was commissioned by her father Andrea, presumably as a wedding gift. The villa in Crocetta was frescoed by Giuseppe Vizzotto Alberti at the behest of Andrea Antonini, who proved to be not only a great industrialist but also a patron and a connoisseur of fine art. 1909 marked the beginning of the decline of the Antonini family, following Andrea’s illness and the handover of the management of the Canapificio to Lebreton.
The painting in question was exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1909 as an example of the elegant and sublime portraiture of the upper bourgeoisie. It depicts the daughter of the greatest industrialist from Veneto, giving prestige to von Blaas but also to the Lebreton Antonini as a sign of the family’s ‘anoblissement’.

This spectacular portrait of Mrs Lebreton Antonini is a superb example of a full-length piece by Eugen von Blaas, dating from 1908. The sitter is shown in a black satin evening gown, wearing a fashionable feathered hat and a long string of pearls. Her jewels include the diamonds and pearls that adorn her earrings. The tulle stole is casually draped over the sitter’s arms and the feathered fans suggest that she has paused only momentarily to allow the artist and her audience to appreciate her beauty and elegance.
The glamorous sitter glances elegantly to one side, looking away from the viewer. The artist focuses on the sitter’s radiant presence, opting for a neutral backdrop.