Fine Art Framed
From $220
The same fine art print in a solid wood frame with UV-protective acrylic glaze and rigid backing. Five frame colours. Arrives ready to hang.
The Kiss - Francesco Hayez
Regular price
$220.00 NZD
Sale price
$220.00 NZD
Regular price
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
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Made to order
Description
A classic Romantic painting by Francesco Hayez, depicting a couple in a secret, intimate embrace on a stone staircase.
Francesco Hayez completed this work in 1859, during a period of significant political change in Italy. The painting depicts a couple in a tight embrace, positioned at the top of a stone staircase. The man, dressed in a brown cloak and red hose, leans over the woman, who wears a shimmering blue dress. Their faces are obscured by the angle of their embrace, which draws attention to the physical tension and the urgency of the moment. Hayez was a leading figure in the Italian Romantic movement. He often used historical settings to convey contemporary political themes. The figures are dressed in medieval-style clothing, yet the composition reflects the aesthetic sensibilities of the mid-nineteenth century. The play of light on the woman's silk dress and the shadows cast against the stone wall demonstrate the technical precision characteristic of his work. The setting is sparse, focusing the viewer entirely on the interaction between the two figures. A shadow visible in the background suggests a third person, adding a sense of secrecy or danger to the scene. This painting is widely recognised for its emotional clarity and technical execution. It captures a fleeting moment of intimacy, removed from the specificities of a narrative context. The use of colour is deliberate, with the cool blue of the dress contrasting against the warm brown and red tones of the man's attire. The composition is balanced, with the verticality of the architecture providing a stable frame for the dynamic movement of the couple. It remains a primary example of Italian Romantic painting, demonstrating the artist's ability to combine historical costume with a universal human experience.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Complete The Look
The Kiss - Francesco Hayez
Regular price
From $130.00 NZD
Sale price
From $130.00 NZD
Regular price
Fine Art Framed / A4 (21x29.7 cm) / Black frame
Artist Biography
Francesco Hayez
The Kiss is a political painting disguised as a love scene. Hayez painted it in 1859, the year Piedmont and France allied against Austria, and the couple's medieval costumes encode a message about Italian unification that his audience understood immediately. He painted three versions. In the 1920s, Perugina, the chocolate manufacturer, adapted the image for the box of its "Baci" chocolates, where it remains today.
Hayez was born in Venice in 1791, the youngest of five sons. His father was a fisherman of French origin; his mother came from Murano. The family was poor enough that the boy was placed with an uncle, the antiquarian Giovanni Binasco, who hoped to train him as a restorer. Instead, Hayez won a scholarship to the Accademia di San Luca in Rome in 1809, where he spent long hours studying Raphael in the Vatican Stanze and visiting the workshop of the sculptor Antonio Canova.
He settled in Milan in 1820 and became the leading figure of Italian Romanticism. His large historical paintings, depicting subjects from medieval Italian history, functioned as allegorical commentary on the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian unification. The use of historical costume allowed him to evade Austrian censorship while communicating patriotic ideas that his Milanese audience decoded without difficulty.
In 1850 he became director of the Brera Academy, a position he held for decades. He rarely signed or dated his works, and often painted the same composition multiple times with minimal variation, which has complicated scholarly assessment. He died in Milan in 1882, at ninety, having witnessed the unification he had painted.
Hayez was born in Venice in 1791, the youngest of five sons. His father was a fisherman of French origin; his mother came from Murano. The family was poor enough that the boy was placed with an uncle, the antiquarian Giovanni Binasco, who hoped to train him as a restorer. Instead, Hayez won a scholarship to the Accademia di San Luca in Rome in 1809, where he spent long hours studying Raphael in the Vatican Stanze and visiting the workshop of the sculptor Antonio Canova.
He settled in Milan in 1820 and became the leading figure of Italian Romanticism. His large historical paintings, depicting subjects from medieval Italian history, functioned as allegorical commentary on the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian unification. The use of historical costume allowed him to evade Austrian censorship while communicating patriotic ideas that his Milanese audience decoded without difficulty.
In 1850 he became director of the Brera Academy, a position he held for decades. He rarely signed or dated his works, and often painted the same composition multiple times with minimal variation, which has complicated scholarly assessment. He died in Milan in 1882, at ninety, having witnessed the unification he had painted.
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Canvas
From $130
Hand-stretched canvas with neat gallery-wrapped edges, giving the artwork surface texture and depth. Arrives ready to hang.
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