signed and dated 'Penry Williams/1874' (lower left)oil on canvas Unframed: 55.5 x 93 cm. (21 7/8 x 36 5/8 in.) Framed: 80.5 x 118 cm. (31 3/4 x 46 1/2 in.)Notes:Penry Williams attended the schools of the Royal Academy to study under Fusili, and following this, between 1822-1869, he exhibited at the Royal Academy, British Institution, Suffolk Street and the Old Water Colour Society. From 1827 he lived in Rome where he became close with John Gibson (1790-1866), and remained for almost 60 years until his death. Perfectly highlighting the uplifting palette, treatment of light and delicacy that can be observed in the present example, a visitor to his Italian studio is recorded to have remarked; ‘The view of scenery about Rome combined with the lovely groups of peasantry here to be seen, are unrivalled. No painter has better succeeded in representing with accuracy the magnificent outline of the distant mountains, the details of the ancient edifices, and the splendid colouring cast by an Italian sun over the Campagna, and the ruins scattered over it.’ 1 A watercolour by Williams which captures the same view of Lake Maggiore (dated 1868) is currently held by the Royal Collection Trust (RCIN 921459). Unlike that version, the present painting features a collection of figures on the shore, with a small boat moored on the bank. References1T.M. Rees, Welsh painters, engravers, sculptors (1527-1911), 1912, pp. 153-72 D. Millar, The Victorian Watercolours in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen, 2 vols, London 1995