Guido Gonin - Charming Portrait Of A Boy - Watercolor On Cardboard, 1859

Charming Portrait of a Boy, 1859
Signed lower right.

This work is by Guido Gonin (Turin 1833 – Aix-les-Bains 1906), a Piedmontese painter, son and pupil of Francesco Gonin. A highly regarded artist at the Turin Promotrice from the 1850s onward, he distinguished himself with his genre scenes in 18th-century costumes and as a sought-after portraitist of the bourgeoisie, as well as a lithographer and illustrator for art and fashion magazines. Several of his paintings are held at the Museo Civico in Turin, attesting to the importance of his work in 19th-century Italian painting.

An elegant portrait of a young boy of about eight years old, seated in three-quarter view on a chair, dressed in a belted grey-blue frock coat, light-colored trousers, and a dark bow tie. The sitter rests his cap on a red cushion with tassels, a charming detail that adds a touch of color and life to the composition.

The watercolor technique is particularly refined: delicate washes, beautiful gradations in the folds of the garment, and soft, subtle modeling of the forms. The neutral background, in beige and gray tones, highlights the child's youthful figure and natural pose.

This work is typical of the mid-19th-century taste for portraits of children from good society, combining tenderness and restraint. Watercolor on card stock, signed "G. Gonin" and dated 1859 in the lower right corner.

In very good original condition. An intimate and decorative format, ideal for complementing a collection of 19th-century portraits or for adding a refined touch to a classic interior.