My original post about Regency-era proposals included a painting I couldn’t identify. Thanks to a discussion on Threads, I now know that Italian artist Vittorio Reggiani painted the picture shown below.

It’s lovely to finally know who painted this, but the title of the painting surprised me. It’s evidently titled “Welcome Advances” —which completely changes my reading of it.

As I discussed in my earlier post, I thought the woman on the sofa was leaning away from the man because she wanted to put distance between herself and an unwanted suitor. I read her expression as a forced smile, and I assumed she was only pretending to enjoy the gentleman’s attention.

But unless the title was intended ironically, my interpretation is dead wrong. (What can I say? I’m not an art critic!) If the smile on the lady’s face is genuine, and she really is pleased by the suitor’s attention, then her leaning away may indicate modesty or coyness rather than dislike or disgust.

How do you read the painting, folks?

P.S. – I’m still not sure what to make of the dead-animal rug beneath the woman’s feet!