Offering the Panel to the Bullfighter

Mary Cassatt completed this Spanish scene during an extended stay in Seville in 1872-1873. A young woman offers a glass of water with honeycomb to a bullfighter in his glittering traje de luces (suit of lights). The intimate moment captures a flirtatious exchange in the shadows of the bullring.

Before becoming known for mother-and-child subjects, Cassatt painted genre scenes from her European travels. Her confident brushwork captures the textures of lace, embroidery, and sequins. The painting hangs at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts.