Seated Woman Holding a Fan

Art Historical Context

**Seated Woman Holding a** (1907) is an exquisite drypoint print by Umberto Boccioni, the artist who would later pioneer Futurism. Created when Boccioni was just 25, this early work captures a poised woman seated gracefully with a fan, rendered in soft, velvety lines characteristic of the medium. Measuring 21 7/8 × 16 5/8 inches, it exemplifies his precocious talent in printmaking before his revolutionary experiments with movement and dynamism. Drypoint involves scratching directly into a metal plate with a needle, raising a burr that holds ink and produces rich, textured effects—ideal for intimate portraits like this one. Unlike etching's precise lines, drypoint's tonal depth lends a painterly intimacy, highlighting the woman's contemplative expression and the delicate folds of her fan, a motif evoking elegance and leisure in early 20th-century European culture. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Modern and Contemporary Art Department, this print entered the collection through the bequest of Lydia Winston Malbin in 1989. It offers a glimpse into Boccioni's evolution from refined portraiture to Futurist innovation, bridging tradition and modernism for visitors today.

About the Artist

Umberto Boccioni · 1882–1916

Umberto Boccioni (1882–1916) was an Italian painter and sculptor who became the leading artist and principal theorist of the Futurist movement. Born in Reggio Calabria, he studied in Rome under the Divisionist painter Giacomo Balla and was deeply influenced by Post-Impressionism before encountering the ideas of Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, whose 1909 Futurist Manifesto catalyzed Boccioni's artistic ...