The Favorite (or Odalisque with a Parrot)
Painting on canvas • Luis Ricardo Falero (Spanish, 1851-1896)
Style & Movement
Orientalism / Academic Art (Late 19th-century Spanish-French School)
Medium & Technique
Oil on canvas; academic technique involving smooth glazing, fine brushwork for textures (lace, skin, feathers), and subtle chiaroscuro to model the figure against the architectural background.
Creation Period
1870 (as indicated by the signature and date '70')
Dimensions & Format
Approximately 80 x 100 cm; Landscape format
Subject Description
An odalisque or harem woman rests on a red carpet in a Moorish architectural setting, featuring an octagonal fountain. She wears a lace garment and a jeweled headband, looking up at a parrot perched on a hoop. The composition blends eroticism with the exoticism typical of the period's Orientalist fantasy.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Good; visible age-related craquelure across the surface, particularly in the darker background and mid-tones of the red wall.
Estimated Market Value
$50,000 - $80,000 USD
Auction Estimate
$40,000 - $60,000 USD
Provenance History
Likely originally part of a private European collection; standard for Falero's sought-after harem and mythological scenes which found a strong market in Paris and London.
Art Historical Significance
Falero was a master of the female nude and fantasy subjects. This work demonstrates his characteristic interest in the exotic and the interplay between light and soft flesh, capturing the 19th-century European fascination with the 'East'.
Notable Features
Features the signature 'L. Falero . 70' in the lower-right corner. Notable for the exceptional rendering of the lace texture and the realistic depiction of the parrot within the stylized Moorish interior.
Condition Issues
Stable but prominent craquelure (alligatoring) in parts of the background suggesting the use of bitumous pigments or uneven drying; minor surface grime and yellowed varnish consistent with age.
Conservation Recommendations
Professional surface cleaning and a light varnish refresh; climate-controlled environment to prevent further expansion/contraction of the canvas which exacerbates the craquelure.