(Venice 1841-1917 Paris)
Reading young lady (La liseuse), signed Zandomeneghi, oil on canvas, 27 x 22 cm, framed

Provenance:
Durand-Ruel (no.3234), Paris;
Private collection;
Sotheby’s Milan, 20 June 2005, lot 142;
Acquired by the father of the current owner from the above;
Thence by descent to the actual owner;
European Private Collection.

Catalogued and illustrated in:
Enrico Piceni, Zandomeneghi, Milan, 1967, no. 58;
Enrico Piceni, Zandomeneghi, Milan, 1991, no. 58;
Fondazione Enrico Piceni, Federico Zandomeneghi – catalogo generale – Nuova edizione aggiornata e ampliata, Libri Scheiwiller ed., Milan, 2006, p.151 and 320, no.560 (Ill. LXXV)

The present work can be dated in the 1890’s. In 1895, Federico Zandomeneghi had just signed a contract with the Parisian dealer Durand-Ruel who acquired La liseuse from the artist. He encouraged him to paint more works depicting female figures to respond to the taste of a newly enriched bourgeoisie. He bought the exclusivity of his works allowing him to work freely without financial constraint. This exquisite portrait shows a charming girl reading a book. She is sitting on a folding chair unaware of the artist’s presence. She is observed in a private moment in her everyday life. Her ankles are largely visible, a feature typical of the 90’s. His choice of contemporary subject and modern colors are also typical of this period. Fine brushstrokes of colors have been indeed juxtaposed to execute the painting on the spot. Zandomeneghi stayed 43 years in Paris. He can be associated with artists such as Mary Cassatt and Pierre-Auguste Renoir whose domestic scenes of women and children influenced his choice of subjects:for instance of women bathing, taking tea or reading letters.