A portrait painted from life in watercolour on handmade paper, 70 × 100 cm

Become the subject of a deeply personal work of art-and take part in its creation.

Lola Montes Schnabel invites the successful bidder to sit for a bespoke portrait, painted from life over two sittings. This sustained encounter between artist and sitter is central to her approach: time to observe, exchange and allow an individual presence to emerge through paint. Working in watercolour on handmade paper, Montes Schnabel builds colour of unusual richness and intensity. Her pigments sit on the surface rather than simply bleeding into it, allowing her to develop contours and achieve a depth she likens to oil paint. For Montes Schnabel, portraiture is an intimate, reciprocal experience. As the artist studies the sitter, the sitter also comes to know the artist. The resulting portrait records something of that exchange, giving the finished work a significance beyond likeness alone. Sittings can take place in Scicli, Sicily, where the artist lives. This commission offers an opportunity to acquire a personal work by Lola Montes Schnabel, with the memory of its creation becoming part of its meaning.

Commission details

• Artist: Lola Montes Schnabel.
• Work: One bespoke portrait, painted from life.
• Medium: Watercolour on handmade paper.
• Dimensions: 70 × 100 cm.
• Sittings: Two sittings, approximately four to six hours in total.
• Location: Scicli, in the province of Ragusa, Sicily; arrangements to be agreed with the artist.

This lot was donated by Lola Montes Schnabel.

This auction will close at the end of the Bambino Gesù Foundation Charity Gala, which will take place at Palazzo Barberini in Rome on 3 October 2026.



The winning bidder will receive all the necessary instructions for making payment by email.

If the winning lot needs to be shipped, any applicable shipping costs will be added to the final bid amount.