Donna in Casa: La Carolina Seated in an Interior
Walter Richard SICKERT
(British, born Germany, 1860 - 1942)
Donna in Casa: La Carolina Seated in an Interior
Date1903-1904
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionsoverall: 21 7/8 x 18 1/4 in. (55.6 x 46.4 cm)
frame: 30 1/2 × 26 3/4 × 3 in. (77.5 × 67.9 × 7.6 cm)
ClassificationPAINTINGS
Credit LineSBMA, Gift of Mary and Will Richeson, Jr.
Object number1985.59.2
Subject(s)
- women
- portraits
- interiors
Collection
- European
- 20th century European
Sub-Collection(s)
- British
On View
Not on viewCollections
Label TextSickert had been familiar with the topography of Venice since his time in Whistler’s studio, making his first visit in 1894. During the ensuing decade, he revisited the city on a number of occasions, focusing on the city’s grand vistas and buildings. However, on his final expedition in 1903-04, the poor weather forced him to paint indoors. So, he employed La Giuseppina and La Carolina dell’ Acqua, Venetian prostitutes, to act as models and proceeded to paint a highly important group of one and two figure subject paintings, but free of any narrative. Carolina was known among her clients for her aversion to water, whether for washing or drinking is not documented. This painting comes from an important series that shows La Carolina in various states of undress that one might only witness in an intimate setting behind closed doors. The extremely loose paint handling, as well as choice of subject, are indisputably the result of Sickert’s knowledge of the work of Edgar Degas.
Edouard VUILLARD
ca. 1905