Lot number 2543 - Auction 155
PORTRÄT EINER JUNGEN FRAU IN MITTELALTERLICHER TRACHT, um 1900

JUANA ROMANI 1869 Velletri - 1924 Suresnes PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG WOMAN IN MEDIEVAL DRESS, circa 1900 Oil on panel. 81 x 63 cm (f. 100 x 82 cm). Signed upper right. Frame (partially damaged). Imbued with the spirit of Symbolism, this portrait is a characteristic example of the aesthetic of Decadence at the end of the nineteenth century. The artist's fate reflects the moods of the fin de siècle: her path led from sought-after model and muse to acclaimed exhibitor at the Paris Salons, before her life ended tragically in a psychiatric institution. This biographical arc-from public success to complete isolation and oblivion-lends her work a particular, almost existential depth. The heavy, ritualistic garment-a stylized medieval costume-appears like a protective armour for the fragile yet enigmatic figure. The soft chiaroscuro typical of Romani's manner delicately models the face, while the distant gaze creates an atmosphere of quiet introspection. The result is not a historical portrait in the strict sense, but rather a poetic vision, fully in keeping with the refined sensibility of the "Belle Époque."