Long investment

Lanthemann ascribed this painting to 1917, but the more reliably authoritative Ambrosio Ceroni dated it 1918, and it is likewise listed in Osvaldo Patani's catalogue. The date of 1918, however, raises the question- precisely when and where did Modigliani paint this portrait? The artist lived in two very different locales that year; he spent the first few months of 1918 in Paris, and then moved to the Riviera, where he remained until mid-1919. There might be elements in this portrait of Mme Menier that suggest its place in artist's timeline and itinerary that year, and illuminate some of the mystery that this genteel woman so discreetly suggests, but true to her upbringing and station, is reluctant to reveal.