Dominique FRASSATI (1896–1947) Portrait of a soldier from the 173rd Infantry Regiment. Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. 92 x 73 cm. (minor damage) A well-known figure in Ajaccio with a beautiful voice, “Ferra Mosca” (literally, “the one who catches flies”!) sold small bundles of resinous wood for kindling in his shop at the entrance to Rue Fesch. While on leave in Ajaccio on Armistice Day, his friends had him sing the “Marseillaise” in a local bar, standing on a table. Shortly afterward, Frassati invited him to his studio and, having him pose with makeshift instruments, created this composition depicting the scene in question.