Il Saltimbanco

John Singer Sargent is said to have proclaimed Mancini the greatest living painter

Antonio Mancini, 1877-1978 
[Philadelphia Museum of Art, Vance N. Jordan Collection]

➔ Antonio Mancini: Nineteenth-Century Italian Master

Mancini’s large painting depicts a street urchin named Luigi Gianchetti (Luigiello) who Mancini discovered in Naples and painted in various settings, often in elaborate costumes. Il Saltimbanco reflects Mancini’s interest in the Cirque Guillaume, which he attended in Naples with Vincenzo Gemito. Completed while Mancini was living in Paris, Il Saltimbanco was exhibited at the Salon in 1877 and once belonged to Count Albert Cahen d’Anvers, the Belgian composer who was an important early patron. ➔ Francesco Sessa

Ulrich W. Hiesinger