ANTONIO MANCINI (1852-1930) Little beggar

signed ‘A. Mancini’ (lower left) oil on panel 35 x 24.5 cm Antonio Mancini (1852 - 1930) was an Italian painter active in the second half of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, belonging to the Macchiaioli pictorial movement. His precociousness and artistic ability enabled him to be admitted at the age of twelve to the Naples Academy of Fine Arts, where he was a pupil of Domenico Morelli, Stanislao Lista and Filippo Palizzi. He became close friends with Vincenzo Gemito. Under the guidance of his masters, his art evolved rapidly, and in 1872 he exhibited two paintings at the Paris Salon. He devoted himself to portraiture and anecdotal genre painting. His art became identified with the verismo movement. His creations depict children, young girls, the poor, young circus performers and musicians he had observed in the streets of Naples. During his stay in Paris, he made the acquaintance of Impressionists Edgar Degas and Édouard Manet. He also became a friend of John Singer Sargent, who considered him the best living painter.