Watercolor On Paper Of Rome, Signed By Ettore Roesler Franz

Ettore Roesler Franz (Rome, May 11, 1845 – Rome, March 26, 1907) was an Italian painter. He was the founder and several times president of the Association of Roman Watercolorists in Rome. He is one of the Italian painters of the 19th century who exhibited and gained recognition both in Italy and abroad. Known for his use of watercolor techniques, he belongs to the late 19th-century Realist movement.

The work in question is a large and refined watercolor on paper depicting two bagpipers in traditional costume, in front of a small shrine at the corner of a street called "Via del Foro Romano." The background, in fact, portrays a classic Roman capriccio with ruins. A touch of color is found in the graffiti on the wall referring to Vittorio Emanuele, King of Italy.

Signed in full at the bottom left: "Ettore Roesler Franz, Rome 1885."