Oreste Cortazzo (Rom 1836-1910 Paris) (Rome 1836-1910 Paris) The fortune teller, signed Cortazzo, oil on panel, 44 x 64 cm, framed. Oreste Cortazzo (Rom 1836-1910 Paris) Die Wahrsagerin, signiert Cortazzo, Öl auf Holz, 44 x 64 cm, gerahmt Provenance: Sotheby’s London, 2 April 1998, lot 83; European Private Collection Born in Rome in 1836, Oreste Cortazzo studied under Léon Bonnat in Paris. There he became a painter of genre scenes specializing in highly detailed figures which were popular among the raising bourgeoisie. Many paintings were produced on commission for the renowned art dealer Adolphe Goupil. Léon Bonnat acquired a couple of his paintings which are currently held at the Musée Bonnat-Helleu in Bayonne. He exhibited at the Salon betwveen 1874 and 1885 and at the Exposition Universelle in 1878 and again in 1889 where he received an honorable mention. He was an eclectic artist. Indeed, he also worked as a print maker and he illustrated books by Balzac and Guy de Maupassant.