I have done (or tried to do) a reverse image search and got no results. It represents a view of Rome, with St Peter’s in the background and some kind of fortress in the left middle ground.
This is a small 6"x12" painting I bought recently in Rome. The artist is Maria Meriggi, who is a professional copyist working in Florence. She does reproductions, and new paintings in the styles of various older artists.
This painting caught my eye in the shop window, it seemed to trigger some faint memory, and I ended up buying it. I was convinced it was a copy of a famous painting, but now I am stymied. So I am calling on the vast art expertise represented here to help me figure out what is so familiar about this.
It is reminiscent of so many in-home murals that were popular in Italian-American homes.
1950’s thru 1970’s murals like that were about 10-15’ wide and, using wallpaper, were put up everywhere (such as kitchens, dining rooms and other areas of homes) when I was growing up (Italian-American, born and raised in Philadelphia).
That was the vibe I got in under a second.
Most murals were copies of decent, but run-of-the-mill paintings and scenes. It just has that feel to it.
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Interesting, Philster. I don’t have any experience with such wall murals, so it is curious that the picture should strike such a nostalgic tone with me.
That’s certainly the same view (with minor variations). The shop owner tried to show me where the view would have been available from, but he was using some old map and I couldn’t really follow. Anyway, thanks.
It used to be a common genre. When a well-off Englishman finished school he would be sent off on an Italian tour to give him some exposure to classical culture. One of the usual things to do during these tours was to paint some of the sights. It showed that in addition to having visited Rome, you had also paid some attention in art class.
You did look all the way down to the 31st image on that page? It’s very obviously the painting that’s being copied.
No, the original is instead an example of a scenic view of the type produced in vast numbers in the nineteenth century by minor professional artists so that tourists could take home a pretty picture to remind them of their visit.
No, of course I didn’t :smack: I stopped at the first one that was pretty similar. You’re right, that’s the exact picture, and better executed than mine (probably bigger, too).
OK, OK, s/he found it, which is the main thing for me. I am curious about how, was it something already known or was this the result of an image search (as I mentioned, I tried that to no avail).
Also, now that we know which painting inspired my little copy, I am very interested to know two things: where is the original painting now, and how big is it?
By diligent searching on the internet I found that the painting is 25 x 43 cm, or about 8 x 17 inches (nearly twice the size of my copy). Also that at one time it was at Museo d’Arte Moderna Ca’ Pesaro Venezia, but when I try to look at their catalog now, it only shows 10 works by Caffi, none of which are this one. His widow apparently donated 150 of his works to this museum, so either they aren’t catalogued or they were sold at some point.
If anyone is better able to track down the current location of this painting, I would be very grateful.
