Offered by Antichità di Alina
Portrait of a Young Girl with Dog and Tyrolean House Model, Northern Italy or Austria, c.1835
Oil on canvas
103 x 82.5 cm
With original giltwood frame: 118 x 99 cm
Rare and important child portrait from the first half of the nineteenth century, likely painted between Northern Italy and the Austrian sphere during the Romantic period. The young girl is shown seated with a small dog beside her, while in the foreground appears a remarkable model of an Alpine house.
Her pale blue dress, with wide neckline, short puffed sleeves and defined waist, reflects the elegant fashion of the 1830s. The long carefully arranged ringlets and the small black bow shoes emphasize the care devoted to childhood within prosperous families of the period.
The most distinctive feature of the painting is this miniature house model, with projecting roof, continuous balcony, frontal staircase and movable elements, probably inspired by Tyrolean or Alpine buildings. More than a simple toy, it appears as a small domestic architectural model, rendered with almost documentary precision.
In the background opens a lakeside landscape with lightly moving water and a solitary sailboat. This detail belongs fully to Romantic sensibility, where nature reflects inner moods and suggests a discreet note of melancholy.
On the reverse are old ink inscriptions, probably nineteenth century, including the name Pellegrini and the number 15, suggesting an early inventory, collection mark or historical passage.
The painting retains its original giltwood frame. A very delicate cleaning has been carried out, revealing a pictorial surface now in very good state of preservation.
Provenance: Florentine family.
