Signorini Telemaco (1835-1901), Berlin. The old inn, 1867

Watercolor, paper; dimensions: 18 x 24 cm; signed p.d. with bound monogram TS 1867 / Berlin. Work pasted with edges on an old noble ground. The work depicts a 17th-century building just before it is demolished under the sprawling neo-historic city center in the Unter den Linden area. The Florence-born artist was part of the Tuscan group Macchiaoli, whose members abandoned studios in favor of painting outdoors. He studied at the Florentine Academy, volunteered in the War of Independence 1859, traveled throughout Europe and became a professor at his alma mater in 1881. He became friends with Edgar Degas. Signorini regularly exhibited not only in Florence, but also in Turin, Naples, Vienna, Venice and elsewhere.