The characters from “La Bohème” by Ruggero Leoncavallo are represented here. Leoncavallo’s opera, which premiered at the Fenice opera house in Venice 1897 May 6 , was less well-known than the one by Puccini.
In 1897, Achille Beltrame dedicated the front page of L' Illustrazione Italiana n. 21 May 23 to the opera. The dress worn by Mimi on the fan is very similar to the one drawn by Beltrame.
Note that the main characters are not Mimi and Rodolfo, but Musetta and Marcello.
The third female figure (called again “Mimì”) is, in fact, Euphemia. This is an error by the painter who clearly did not know the plot of the opera.
The sticks, imported from the East, are made of bamboo and have white lacquer on the guards.
A search for the artist indicated by the initials “GAP” have not yet yielded satisfactory results.
"Details make perfection, and perfection is not a detail."
Leonardo Da Vinci
