Portraiture was not the preferred genre of the Valencian artist Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923), but early in his career he recognised its value as a reliable source of income and persisted with it throughout his lifetime.
A striking example of a portrait of a young girl, Beatriz García Palencia, by Sorolla will be offered at Alcala Subastas, in their sale on Madrid October 2-4. Dated March 1908, the 1ft 8in x 1ft 11in (52 x 59.5cm) oil on canvas, pictured right, depicts the daughter of Rafael García Palencia, a great friend of Sorolla, and it was selected by the artist to appear in his first exhibition in London at the Grafton Gallery the same year.