Consuelo, c. 1902
Oil on panel
73 by 59cm., 28¾ by 23¼in.
Private collection
Consuelo ( Barcelona , 1888 – Barcelona, 1905 ) was a model of Gypsy ethnic group that had a close relationship with Isidre Nonell . The painter repeatedly portrayed her between 1901 and 1905, until she died tragically at seventeen.
In the middle of the year 1900, Isidre Nonell returned from Paris to Barcelona. In a shared study, he saw how Ossó often used gypsy models, as they were much more affordable than professional models. Nonell abandoned his landscapes and began an era in which practically only painted portraits of gypsies, to the point of being known as the “painter of gypsies.”
In this context he met Consuelo, a thirteen years old, who became one of his favorite models and possibly the lover…
Zaidan Gallery 
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