Two Elegant Women, Antoine Calbet (1860–1942),

Two elegant women on a balcony overlooking the sea, surrounded by rose bushes. Watercolor with light transparencies, enhanced with white gouache highlights to emphasize the light and the silks. Signed lower left A. Calbet. Antoine Calbet (1860–1942), painter, watercolorist and illustrator trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Cabanel, established himself in the 1880s as one of the great representatives of the gallant and feminine scene. His work, widely distributed and sought after, demonstrates a refined taste for elegant figures and the highlighting of Mediterranean light. The scene depicted, with its Restoration-style costumes – high-waisted dresses, printed shawls and “capote” hats – illustrates the taste of the last quarter of the 19th century for romantic evocations and idealized reinterpretations of an elegant past. The freshness of the colors, the subtlety of the gesture and the elegance of the attitudes make it a work characteristic of Calbet's production. Dimensions: 13.2 × 17.6 cm. Invoice on request. Shipping costs on estimate.