Bordighera, c.1882. Oil on canvas, 29¾ x 45 inches (75.5 x 114.3 cm). Private collection.
This is probably the picture exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1882 entitled Path under the Olives, Bordighera, no. 15. Bordighera is a town in the Province of Imperia, in the Region of Liguria in Italy, close to the border between Italy and France. It became a popular destination for wealthy English tourists to visit, particularly once he Calais-Rome Express railway was opened on December 8, 1883. Bordighera because of its location in the Italian Riviera has a microclimate that produced warmer winters than most of Italy. Howard has chosen to show two Italian women resting under olive trees on a rocky path leading to the town. In the distance to the left are mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. The curved olive trees are very much a focus of the picture. There is a watercolour in the Castle Howard collection of the same subject dated 1882.
Last modified 18 December 2022