Oil on paper, laid down on canvas
Italy, circa 1900
Antonio Mancini (1852 - 1930) – Italian painter
Signed lower left, ‘A. Mancini / Rome’
Inscribed verso on the stretcher, ‘Il Santone di Mancini Antonio’
Dimensions: 55.5 x 39 cm
Provenance: Swiss private collection
Antonio Mancini was a master of portraiture. The auction record for a painting by Mancini lies at more than 460,000 euros

The present painting entitled ‘Il Santone’ (= the saint) is the work of Antonio Mancini and dates around 1900. The artist mainly focused on portraiture, and was influenced by Impressionism and the Italian “Verismo” movement. Turning away from the academic doctrine of portraiture, the present portrait is characterized by an immediate and dynamic brushwork, which seems to bring to life the devotional, almost ecstatic posture of the sitter.



The painting is signed lower left, ‘A. Mancini Rome’. The stretcher is inscribed on the back, ‘Il Santone di Mancini Antonio’. The paper, on which the portrait is painted, was laid down on canvas. The paint surface shows a few small color losses and scratches. The paint surface has lifted from the paper in part. A few little areas of retouching are visible. The stretcher frame measures 55.5 x 39 cm. The painting is unframed.



Antonio Mancini (1852 - 1930)

Born in the province of Rome, Antonio Mancini is considered one of the most important Italian painters of modern times. As a 12-year-old, he was admitted to the Accademia di Belle Arti in Naples. In 1870, Mancini presented two paintings at the Salon de Paris. Three years later, he opened a studio in Rome. There, he joined the ‘Verismo’, a movement, which focused on the representation of daily reality, in contrast from the traditional doctrines. In 1877, he traveled to France and met the Impressionists Edgar Degas, and Édouard Manet. Their works had an impact on Mancini's late output. As well, his friend, the painter John Singer Sargent strongly influenced him. In 1881, Mancini moved to Rome. After the First World War, he took on a job as an art teacher at the Accademia d'Italia. Today, Mancini's works are on display in major museum collections, including the Musée d' Orsay in Paris, the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery in London, and the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome.

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