(b Ferrara, 31 Dec. 1842; d Paris, 11 Jan. 1931). Italian painter, one of the most renowned society portraitists of his day. He was at his best with portraits of glamorous women: Sickert referred to his ‘wriggle-and-chiffon’ style. His vivacious brushwork and gift for making his sitters look graceful and poised recall the work of his even more successful contemporary, John Singer Sargent, and like Sargent he had an international career: he worked mainly in Paris, where he settled in 1871, but he travelled widely. Together with another flamboyant portraitist, Antonio Mancini (1852–1930), he was probably the best-known Italian artist at the turn of the century. Apart from portraits, his work includes some excellent street scenes of Paris.