European School (c. 1900) - Dangerous Liaisons

- Oil on canvas. Original canvas. Old labels on the back.

- “Good heavens, Viscount, your cynicism is as unbearable as the cry of that peacock!” exclaimed the lady in the yellow dress, fanning herself with feigned indignation at Valmont’s remark. “Have you no heart for innocence?” The Viscount de Valmont, casually adjusting the ruff of his crimson jacket, offered a smile that did not reach his cold eyes. “Innocence, my dear Countess, is a temporary condition that high society takes it upon itself to cure with alacrity. Besides, the heart is a useful organ for pumping blood, but a poor advisor when it comes to matters of pleasure and reputation.” ” The other lady, dressed in sapphire blue, interjected as she stroked with her glove a greyhound sniffing the edge of the pond: “If innocence is a disease, Monsieur le Vicomte, you are the most prolific doctor in Paris. ” Valmont let out a dry, sharp laugh. “I am no doctor, Marquise; I am an artist. And as such, I seek only perfection in the most elusive of works of art: the will of others. ”

- Dimensions of the artwork without frame: 89 x 90 cm / 102 x 103 cm with an exclusive, custom-made frame.