Antonio Casanova Estorach

ANTONIO CASANOVA ESTORACH (Tortosa, Tarragona, 1847 – Paris, 1896).
“The Barber.”
Oil on canvas.
Signed in the lower left corner.
With a Christie’s stamp on the reverse.
Measurements: 22 x 27 cm; 43 x 48 cm (frame).

In this scene set in the 18th century, Casanova Estorach displays exquisite technical precision, managing to condense an extraordinary wealth of detail onto a small canvas. The fine, agile, and vibrant brushwork renders the brocades, coats, and gilded surfaces through delicate touches of color and light. The rendering of textures is particularly successful: the off-whites suggest the lightness and folds of the fabrics, while the reflections on the moldings and furniture evoke the relief of the carving and the brilliance of the gilding. Reds and greens enliven a palette dominated by earth tones and warm hues, lending intensity and balance to the composition.

The scene depicts an altercation between the barber and his client, whose vehement gestures suggest an angry protest in the middle of a shave. With the cloth still draped across his chest, the noble client extends an arm in a gesture of reproach, while the barber responds with open hands. The gazes of the figures on the right and the figure peering through the doorway accentuate the comic and theatrical tone of the episode. Casanova Estorach focuses the narrative tension on the faces and hands, rendered with fine, precise brushstrokes that vividly capture the various reactions.

Antonio Casanova y Estorach was a Spanish painter noted for his genre scenes and his extraordinary technical virtuosity. He trained in Barcelona and at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid, completed his studies in Rome, and settled in Paris in 1875, where he achieved international recognition. Close in style to the preciousism of Mariano Fortuny, he excelled in small-format compositions, often set in the 18th century, featuring sumptuous interiors, meticulously rendered costumes, and highly expressive figures. His painting combines precise draftsmanship, a delicate brushstroke, and a brilliant rendering of textures with a keen sense of humor, particularly evident in his famous scenes of anticlerical satire. He also pursued history painting, and his work is held in institutions such as the Prado Museum and the National Art Museum of Catalonia.