La Perla e il Fiore di Capri [The Pearl and the Flower of Capri]

1877 – Oils on panel – 22 x 18 cm

Signed, dated and inscribed 1877 / ABonifazi / Capri

Critical-Stylistic Analysis

The two panels, conceived as pendants and known by the titles La Perla di Capri and Il Fiore di Capri, constitute a paradigmatic example of Adriano Bonifazi's artistic maturity. Executed in 1877, the works testify to the painter's full adherence to research founded upon the psychological investigation of the subject and upon a technical virtuosity placed at the service of optical truth.

Bonifazi approaches the theme of child and adolescent portraiture by conferring upon his models a classical dignity and an emotional intensity that transcend the contingency of the portrayed subject. Far from anecdotal intent, the artist concentrates on the volumetric rendering of the faces through a masterful management of light: soft and diffused, it investigates the epidermis with analytical sensitivity, rendering the transparency of the flesh tones and the complexity of the expressions.

In the female portrait, attention is focused on the gaze: direct and magnetic, capable of establishing an immediate dialogue with the observer. Technical expertise manifests in the material rendering of details: the consistency of the headdress fabrics, treated with sculptural folds, and the lustre of the necklace, rendered with a minute touch.

In the male portrait, the artist chooses a more introspective compositional framing. The gaze, gentle and slightly averted, suggests a silent and profound inner dimension. The contrast between the rough texture of the felt hat, adorned with floral elements, and the smoothness of the face highlights Bonifazi's ability to orchestrate diverse tactile qualities within the same composition.

In both works, Bonifazi elevates the figures to universal symbols of a formative age captured in its purest and most solemn essence, confirming his role as a refined and sensitive interpreter of nineteenth-century Italian painting.

Provenance and Collecting History

The conservation history of the works attests to Bonifazi’s constant critical reception within international and European collecting. The panels boast a documented provenance that traverses the Dutch and Anglo-Saxon markets from the very year of their execution.

• 1877 (11 December): Auction sale at C.F. Roos & Co. / C.F. Roos Jr., De Brakke Grond, Amsterdam. The works entered the Northern European market immediately following their creation.

• 1902 (13 May): Passing through auction at C.F. Roos & Cie, Hôtel de Brakke Grond, Amsterdam. Catalogued under the titles "Jeune fille de l’Île de Capri" and "Jeune de l’Île de Capri", confirming the author's stable presence in collections in the Netherlands.

• 1908 (12 May): Auction sale at Frederik Muller & Cie, Amsterdam. Here, the works were presented under the unitary title "Frère et Sœur" (Brother and Sister), underscoring their inseparable compositional and emotional bond.

• 1999 (27 April): Christie’s Auction, Amsterdam. The works reappeared in one of the most prestigious arenas of the global market, sanctioning the continuity of collecting interest in the author.

• Collection of MacConnal-Mason & Son Ltd., London: Acquired by the historic London gallery, the works re-entered the high-profile circuit of nineteenth-century European painting.

Visual and Bibliographic Reception

The pervasiveness of Bonifazi's imagery in contemporary visual culture is documented by the presence of the two works in the Gallery Lenormand (2nd Edition) deck, a US editorial project that selects 19th-century artworks to illustrate the celebrated French cartomancy tradition.

Specifically, the two portraits were chosen to represent card no. 13, "The Child" (Il Fanciullo). This iconographic selection is not anecdotal but substantial: it confirms how Bonifazi's portraiture is today recognized as the ideal visual archetype of childhood innocence and purity, capable of universally embodying the symbolic meaning of the card.

On the publishing front, we also note the use of the female effigy (La Perla di Capri) as the cover image for the Anglo-Saxon edition of the novel In Maremma by Ouida (ed. Valancourt Books).