"Porcelain Doll in a Ballet Dream", Painting by Santini Poncini

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Some artists immediately stand out for the singularity of their work. While very little is known about the 20th-century French … Read more Some artists immediately stand out for the singularity of their work. While very little is known about the 20th-century French painter Santini Poncini, his paintings are unmistakable for their strangely disconcerting, dreamlike quality. A signature of his style is the recurring appearance of cherub-faced children with doll-like features, often heavily made-up and unsettling in their androgyny. Much like Poncini himself, whose gender remains a mystery, these figures seem to defy categorization.

In this work, a young child with doll-like features is depicted with large, expressive eyes and carefully coiffed jet-black hair adorned with flowers. Her cheeks are prominently highlighted in pink, while her lips, painted a bright red, introduce a striking contrast to her innocent appearance. Her porcelain complexion enhances an unreal, evanescent quality. This enigmatic figure conveys an indefinable emotion, eluding any attempt at precise description—a true feat and a hallmark of Poncini’s magic. The child’s dramatic makeup parallels the beauty pageants emerging decades later. These contests often transform children into miniature versions of adults, stripping them of their guilelessness and immersing them in a performance culture where appearance eclipses authenticity. Beyond this initial vision, the eye is drawn to a more impressionistic background scene: several classical ballet dancers move through a lush garden setting, suggesting that the child either belongs to this graceful world of performance or dreams of finding her place in it. While the main subject is rendered with striking realism, the background elements dissolve into broad brushstrokes, favoring impression over photographic precision.

This small oil on canvas, signed in red, is presented in its original frame. It is accompanied by a French inscription guaranteeing the authenticity of Poncini's works: "Reproduction and imitation prohibited. Copyright Reserved." Our gallery also offers a second piece from this "doll" series, ideal for collectors wishing to acquire a pair of works by this unique artist (see last picture).



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Santini Poncini is one of the most enigmatic figures in 20th-century French art. He was a prolific artist who painted in Paris circa the 1950s and 1960s. While little is definitively known about the artist’s background, it is widely speculated that Poncini was born in a border town between France and Italy. This dual heritage may have shaped Poncini’s distinctive aesthetic, blending the poetic sensibilities of Italian Romanticism with the avant-garde experimentation of Parisian Modernism.

Active in the vibrant Montmartre district of Paris, Poncini created an oeuvre renowned for its haunting beauty and surrealist undertones. The artist’s works frequently feature motifs such as children and flowers and performance elements, including elaborate costumes and theatrical settings. These recurring themes invite viewers into an otherworldly realm where the boundaries between reality and imagination dissolve, leaving an indelible impression of mystery and wonder. See less