Portrait of a Girl with a Dog
Alessandro Longhi·c. 1770
Historical Context
Alessandro Longhi, son of the celebrated painter Pietro Longhi, established himself as Venice's leading portraitist in the late 18th century. This intimate portrait of a girl with her pet dog reflects the Venetian aristocratic taste for informal, tender depictions of youth. The work dates to the period when Longhi was also active as an art critic and biographer, publishing his influential Compendio delle vite de' pittori veneziani in 1762.
Technical Analysis
Longhi employs a warm, muted palette characteristic of late Venetian Rococo portraiture, with delicate brushwork in the rendering of fabrics and the soft modeling of the child's features against a subdued background.
Provenance
Francesco Zanetti, Venice [according to Rich 1938]. Italico Brass, Venice, by 1929 [lent to Venice 1929; see also letter of June 8, 1930, from Lionello Venturi to Charles Worcester, copy in curatorial file]; sold to Charles Worcester for $5,944.78, August 1930 [according to letter of August 23, 1930, from Italico Brass to Charles Worcester, copy in curatorial file]; given by Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester to the Art Institute, February 27, 1947.
