Reggianini’s satin technique involves layering thin, see-through coats of oil paint, much like building a sheer curtain over a light source to make fabric glow naturally. He started with darker base colors for shadows, then added lighter glazes on top, creating a realistic shimmer without harsh bright spots.
Love the two-toned silk used for the man's suit in slide 10, exquisite work. Looks like many repeated characters/subjects used as well which is interesting
I was coming here to say this! I've never seen shot silk fabric painted so perfectly. I also love that the artist observed every detail of garment construction to the point where seams are identifiable, and the little stresses placed on the fabrics by the construction. Amazing.
Good catch! I didn’t see that at first. I had no idea that type of silk was so old!
Holy hell, I am mesmerized.
These paintings are just so beautiful, but my gosh I'm laughing too much at the way the dog is shaved in slide 12!
My first thought after "Oooo pretty satin" was "yeah, I'm gonna need more info on that dog in slide 12"
I think that was an historic standard cut as a hang-over from working gun dogs. It is close to the classic cut for Standard Poodles (the OG breed). A longer coat on the front quarters protected the dog going through undergrowth and bushes, while the shorter hind quarters kept it cooler and was easier to keep clean.
No. 12 doesn't look like a poodle to me, but I am ignorant about dog breeds. I don't know what breeds were popular in 19th century Italy.
I think the doggie-haircut in no.12 is a stylised, fashionable version, however.
Interesting, thank you for the insight!
The dog is definitely not a poodle, most likely a terrier type, so your analysis makes a lot of sense—they typically hunt vermin and small animals.
Terriers were also put down holes to chase the quarry out if it 'went to ground'. Fox terriers (obvious) but also Dachs is the German for badger.
Is it to make him look like a lion?
They did him so wrong 😭
I love the musical paintings, they have so much life!
I got lost in 14 for a while. Amazing
Don't miss the perspective and soft reflections on the floor. Incredible technical skill.
Holy shit.
13 is so good for that
The earliest beginnings of people starting to look back with any kind of fondness on Regency era fashion (even though it's not exactly an accurate rendition thereof). And yet you can still very clearly see that they are later, based on the hairstyles, the homogenous appearance of almost exclusively short sleeved satin dresses (the idea of wearing short sleeves for day would have been foreign to his viewers and thus made it look "old timey"), and the big broad smiles on the faces of the figures. I love "history doing history" pieces like this.
I don't know how to articulate it but there's a sense you get looking at a lot of art of when things were painted post-photography. I taught fashion history this year and realized I could always tell a later depiction of earlier fashion but I didn't know how to teach that. I focused on teaching about primary sources and academic resources for images, since if you can't confirm the source of an image you don't know if it's original, a Victorian interpretation, AI etc.
These are Itallian/Scicillian scenes. The fashions might have been quite different to the more northerly fashions of UK, France and the Germanic states. They are certainly dated, as in not early 20th century when they were painted.
Temperatures are a lot higher in Italy than further north.
I don't think it was quite that different – short sleeves were sometimes worn for day in England and other parts of Europe in that period. It's more that almost none of them are wearing long sleeves, which as far as I know is not realistic for anywhere in Europe at that point in time. But I would expect that to be emphasized more than it was realistically, because again, it was an element that would look foreign to audiences when the pictures were painted and emphasize the old-fashioned nature of the subjects. Also the hairstyles are very distinctly late 19th century.
These are absolutely later portrayals of 1790-1820 fashion, not just the women but the men's dress especially. Italy was often a fashion outlier but not to this extent.
the texture across all these paintings is just 👌🔥
The sewist in me noticed that he even captured the wrinkles and puckered seams. Silk is difficult, y'all.
I was marveling at the puckered seams!
These are amazing! They did a whole print run of Georgette Heyer's regency romance novels using these for the covers, which introduced a lot of Reggianini's work to more people.
Italian Norman Rockwell
Oh my god I had the exact same thought with the chicken on the table piece 😄
Normanno Rocciavelli
These made my day!! I've seen the first painting but never the rest. I had to save this post and all the paintings. His technique for the silk is... wow!! 🤩🤩🤩
I love that they are all smiling as well.
Does anyone know if these are in museums? I went looking and it seems like most are sold at auctions and doesn't say if they were bought by a museum.
Number7 feels so immersive! Do these works have titles?
Love the satin and how mischievous and playful the female subjects seem to be!
This is amazing, detailed work.
It’s actually insane how naturalistically the silk dresses shine
Thank you so much for posting this. I’ve never heard of him, but now I’m a fan! Excellent vibes & depiction of light reflection!
These are sensational. The technical skill required and the attention to detail are off the charts. Thanks for sharing, OP!
I love all the smiling
I love the technique but I cannot get over the half shaven dog
It's a lions cut!
I’d love so much to see these paintings in person 🥹
Reggianini had some kind of foot fetish and/or struggled to draw proportional women's feet yet highlighted them in the work. It's such an odd look, yet it looks like certain features are disorientingly sharp, small, and out of proportion (women's feet the size of a young child or that could fit in their adult sized palm, certain facial features.)
At immediate glance, the work is pleasant and the masterful, lifelike representation of fabrics draws the viewer in- but the feet and other scale peculiarities throw off the ease of the work. Uncanny valley/funhouse mirror effect for the observant.
Everyone seems to be having a good time in these paintings!
Does anyone know of artists with similar styles? I have a print of a painting with very similar features ie the style of dress, the composition, the body language, the setting, etc. but it's not one of his and doesn't have the extreme sheen he's known for. I thought maybe George Goodwin Kilburne or another Faux Regency painter but I'm having no luck. Found at a thrift store with no markings.
https://preview.redd.it/451v514oxz8g1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=90793ff323c2ac1ceb3b6189da0b0a8711e5c081
Arturo Ricci and Frédéric Soulacroix
The reflections on the floor, two-toned suit in slides 7 and 10, and the pink dress reflecting on the white dress in slide 1. I’m in awe
So gorgeous! I agree that takes a special kind of talent
Party in #14 is lit. He's probably banging the piano loop from Still DRE.
I pictured the opening of Scary Movie 2 when they’re singing around the piano. “Now this is the real shit!”
Love this post so much - thx
He did one thing very well. It’s a pity he couldn’t figure out skin tones. White is the most difficult color to work with so it’s no small achievement.
Or natural arm lengths!
I thought it was Soulacroix at first. I love a good satin!
Great technique
I always thought Sargent was the absolute GOAT fabric painter, but maybe I was wrong.
It honestly looks like a scene inside of Bridgerton!
This is just beautiful.
So he’s born in 1858, but the dresses are very regency eras, 1800-1810. Whats going on??
It's a nostalgic fantasy, an intentional form of escapism.
I see. Thank you! Its his “then good, today bad” version hahaha
We're peoples feet that small back then?
So beautiful 😍 thank you for the explanation.
Okay, am I crazy or does the 9th pic look like Benson Boone?
stunning work
I can’t imagine doing anything with this level of detail, jesus
Exquisite.
1st slide = checkin' they DMs
Wait what happened to the dog
He captured the shimmering dresses and details very well!
cool and high quality post. thank you very much!
Gorgeous!!!
Beautiful.
i love how it's cozy, makes me breathe easier
Magnificent
People just kickin’ it old school. Love it.
wow thank you for sharing!
Great job!
beyond stunning. wow.
So beautiful😍
It’s not as superficial as it looks.
Slop