Genre painting (scenes of everyday life) was very popular in Europe in the last half of the nineteenth century, providing the ideal arena for the depiction of figures in unusual situations and providing the artist with a marvelous opportunity to display his technical skills. Notice the range of textures and the reflective qualities of the elegant costume worn by the old woman's ingénue client and the dramatic assemblage of props used to suggest the mysterious arts and hidden lore of the seer's world. Glisenti (Lleesenti) was born in the northern Italian town of Brescia. Remembered primarily as a genre painter, he seems to have been entirely self-taught. Little is known of the details of his career or his artistic background.

Other artist: William Hart (1823-1894).

Other artist: Elizabeth Coxen Gould (1804-1841).