Bianca Boni

Exhibited by Walter Padovani

Material Watercolour and gouache on ivory, after a painting by Domenichino (1581–1641) now in the Galleria Borghse, Rome; in original case bound in red leather and lined with moss-green silk

Dimensions 13 x 10 cm

Place of Creation Rome

Price €11.000

Status Vetted

About the Work

The miniature, of the highest quality, succeed in its intent to convey the Ideal of Beauty that was such a feature of the art of Domenichino, the painter on whose work the figure is modelled. The original case, bound in leather and lined with silk, doubtless served to protect the fragile painting while travelling, given that most of this item was intended for those cultured, wealthy and aristocratic patrons visiting Italy who, though discerning, were nevertheless unreservedly enthusiastic in their love of art. Any one of them, stopping to admire the old master works in the country's museums, would want to take home a memento of the treasures he had seen, and these small "souvenirs" were specifically designed to cater for just such a market; thus, incidentally, also testifying to the history of taste in the early 19th century.

A prolific artist, Bianca Boni painted both portraits and copies of work by other masters, building a solid reputation for herself with her contemporaries. A tourist guide published in the first half of the 19th century for Englishmen preparing to travel to the continent contained a list of names of the most illustrious contemporary artists in each discipline. For the discipline of miniature painting in Rome it lists only two artists, Bianca Boni and Teresa Fioroni (Information and Directions for Travellers on the Continent by Mariana Starke. Sixth Edition thoroughly revised and corrected, with considerable additions, made during a recent expensive journey undertaken by the Author, with a view to render this work as perfect as possible, London, 1828).

On 22 May 1825 Bianca received the prestigious recognition of being elected an Honourable Member of the Academy of St. Luke, an honour awarded on the grounds that "…for a long time [the Academy] has admired Your skill in the art of fine miniature painting and Your rare constancy in the practice of that discipline, thanks to which You have forged a reputation for yourself both in Rome and abroad”.

Little was known about the talented Roman miniature painter Bianca Boni until Bernardo Falconi published the results of his research in 2014. Basing his work on previously unpublished archive documents and correspondence, Falconi has succeeded in providing us with an outline of her life and work and in restoring her to the prominence she deserves (B. Falconi, Bianca Boni “miniatrice romana (1786 – 1857), in Bollettino dei Musei Comunali di Roma, n. s., XXVIII, 2014, pp. 83 - 110).

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