Beautiful, vibrant watercolour painting of Southern Italian costumes. The work has been attributed to Luigi del Giudice (active 1777-1816), as the style and subject matter are identical to his other work. The painting depicts the colourful traditional Italian dress worn at a local festival and shows the various activities the participants engage in, including a traditional dance with castanets (likely the Tarantella), the sale of prints of the Madonna and child, and eating local delicacies. The inscription below the painting mentions Sicily, but the work probably depicts the Piedigrotta festival in Naples.
Del Giudice was an Italian artist who was a student of painter Giacomo Cestaro (1718- ca. 1779) in Naples. He specalised in watercolours of costumes and festivals. The present work is part of a series of 5 paintings with similar scenes, which can be found in multiple museums in Naples. Del Giudice's work is a good example of the Romantic movement popular in Europe at the time.
The paper has small scratch marks in the top border and small dust particles in all borders, without affecting the painted image. A few small parts of the frame have chipped off on the inner and outer edge, and tape on the back. Otherwise in very good condition. Thieme/Becker 14, p. 204.