(Venice 1849–1887)
The Temptation or the Seduction (1873), signed G. Favretto, oil on canvas, 41.7 x 59 cm, framed, (GG)

Provenance:
Antonio Favretto Collection (cousin of the artist), Venice;
Iris Favretto Collection, Venice;
Christie’s Rome, 20. 3. 1980, lot 225;
Italian private collection.

Catalogued and illustrated in:
Renzo Trevisan, Giacomo Favretto 1849–1887, La Tipografia Scorzè, Venice, 1999, 2. Ed., p. 74.

Although Favretto met an untimely death at the age of 38, he enjoyed great success during his lifetime. He trained under Pompeo Marino Molmenti (1819–1894) at the Academy of Venice, and is most highly regarded for the charm of his genre scenes and depictions of Venetian life.
Born in Venice, he was withdrawn, living a fiercely independent life and rarely leaving the city during his short lifespan. He went to Paris in 1879 with painter and friend Guglielmo Ciardi (1842–1917).
He remained in touch with the artistic movements in Paris through artists including Giovanni Boldini (1842–1931) and Federico Zandomeneghi (1841–1917)

The present lot was painted in 1873, the year he left the Academy to exhibit his family scenes including “The family Gudini”, now in the Museo d’arte Moderna, Ca’Pesaro.
It appears to be a classical genre scene. The man is shown seated with books on a table. He holds a young woman by the hips. She seems offended. The informality and simplicity of the interior is created by means of the bright background which was typical of this period. The furniture and clothes are also visible in other works dating to this period.