Giovanni Boldini (Ferrara 1842-1931 Paris)

Dramatically turned in profile, the stately hairdo and graceful neck of the sitter for this portrait resemble those of Consuelo Vanderbilt, painted by Boldini with her son in a portrait now in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. 47.71; P. Dini et F. Dini, Giovanni Boldini 1842-1931. Catalogo ragionato, Turin, 2002, III, no. 919, ill.). Boldini’s application of watercolor, however, adds an element of mystery to the femme fatale depicted in this energetic sketch and any identification is uncertain.