(Livorno 1859–1933 Florence)
Dis-mois tout! signed, dated V. Corcos (18)83, oil on canvas, 93 x 60 cm, framed, (GG) 

Blog: Vittorio Matteo Corcos: Silky Secrets

Provenance:
Acquired by Theo van Gogh for Goupil & Cie, which renamed itself Boussod, Valadon & Cie in 1884, Paris; 
Charles Field Haseltine (1840-1915) Philadelphia;
Acquired by the grandfather of the current owner in the 1960s;
Private Collection, Italy.

Corcos was working for the French art dealer Adolphe Goupil when the present lot was painted in 1883. Goupil and Co. was founded in 1861 and later renamed after Goupil’s two sons in law, Boussod and Valadon. 
The present painting was acquired by Theo van Gogh, Vincent’s brother, for the Goupil gallery, along with its counterpart, entitled “Nous verrons!”. The two paintings are the same size, and were subsequently sold to the American dealer Charles Field Haseltine. 
In 1884, the gallery Boussod, Valadon & Cie created colour reproductions of the two paintings so that they could reach a larger audience. As a result, Corcos attained international exposure among the growing group of wealthy American collectors visiting Paris. 

Corcos studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence and in Naples under Domenico Morelli. He lived in Paris from 1880 until 1886. There he met Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas and the Italian expatriates Giuseppe De Nittis and Giovanni Boldini, who would influence him greatly. He signed a fifteen-year contract with Goupil, who sold many of his pictures to European and American collectors. He quickly established himself as the “peintre des jolies femmes”. His Parisian period can be considered to be his best.
In the present lot, Corcos captures these two young beauties in a moment of emotion. A young lady is looking at the distant boat which is taking away her beloved, while her friend holds her hand. They are magnificently dressed in clothes of the Belle Époque style.