Portrait of Emiliana Concha de Ossa

Giovanni Boldini's 'Portrait of Emiliana Concha de Ossa' (1888) depicts a South American aristocrat — the Chilean social world's representatives in Paris were among the wealthiest and most fashionable of the Belle Époque's international elite, and Boldini's glamorous portrait style made him the natural choice for such sitters. The Concha de Ossa family represented the Chilean copper and wine fortunes that brought South American aristocracy to European capitals during the late nineteenth century. Boldini's ability to convey both the physical charm and the social authority of his female sitters made him the most sought-after portraitist in Paris.

Boldini renders the Chilean aristocrat with his virtuoso portrait style — the bravura brushwork, the vibrant rendering of silk and lace, and the sitter's physical presence conveyed with the dynamic energy that distinguishes his portraits from those of his more conservative contemporaries. His characteristic technique of leaving the background loosely suggested while bringing the face and key details to sharp resolution creates the illusion of the sitter's vital, forward presence. The fashionable dress and jewelry are rendered with the appreciative precision of a painter who understood luxury material.