Size: Painting - 6.5" x 9.25" (16.5 x 23.5 cm) / Frame - 9.75" x 12.25" (25 x 31 cm).

This painting is unsigned, however there is a very nice Coat of Arms impressed into a red wax seal on the back of the panel (see photos). This Coat of Arms shows two dogs as the supports and is probably that of the family of the original owner. Further research into the seal may reveal some provenance and a more exact date for this work.

The painting depicts a colorful, deeply dimensional landscape with a house by a river, and churches in the background. In the foreground there are several people including a man with a bag over his shoulder and with his dog and donkey, a man in gray 18th C. clothing, with a stick or gun over his shoulder, and two shepards with their flock a little further down the road. A group of trees dominate the center of the scene and it appears to be late afternoon with colors in the sky.

Both the painting and the frame look Italian to me, and I believe "Italian School" is the correct attribution, however another opinion was that the origin was 18th century "English School" and so that may be a possibility. The painting and frame are both in good condition, as shown in the photographs. The frame has some wear to the gold and some mnor repairs to chips in the gesso and gold leaf. The painting is in very good condition for its age and the colors of the gouache pigments are unfaded and bright. There are two small spots of touch-up, one in the sky and one in the foreground, but they are very minor as well.