After Jean Benner, Antique Italian School Oil on Board

Charming late 19th-century Italian School oil on board after Jean Benner’s A Corner of Shade, Capri, signed lower left, housed under glass in an elegant mahogany cased frame with a pierced gilt slip, depicting a tranquil village alley bathed in warm Mediterranean light. The composition draws the eye through a narrow stone passageway and ascending steps animated by small figures. In the foreground, three women pause in quiet conversation while another sits absorbed in her needlework. Sunlit limestone walls, weathered masonry, and touches of greenery frame the figures, while the soft blue sky provides a luminous contrast to the warm earth tones below.

Executed with refined academic brushwork, the painting balances careful architectural perspective with delicately modelled figures, capturing the romantic charm of Capri that captivated Grand Tour travellers in the late nineteenth century.

17 1/2” x 13 3/4”