Completed British 19th C, except portraits, Maritime Subjects, South East England: Artists and Subjects 20 Who painted ‘Lake Como, Italy’?

The Collection have commented: ‘We have that it was formerly attributed to Frederick Lee Bridell, but after cleaning the signature (which was spelt wrong anyway!) disappeared so an obvious forgery! So if we can discover the artist then great!’

I am not sure there is really a signature on the boat.

There is some resemblance to Bridell's work, as below:

https://bit.ly/3m1vbLA

However, this looks later, though probably still 19th century.

Is the work possibly by James Vivien de Fleury (1847-1902)? See “Lake Maggiore” from 1862, on the website of Uno Langmann Limited. https://tinyurl.com/4u9bxnf2

There is the same attention to detail in the figures in both works, and both works include groupings of people in the foreground and near the simple dwelling. Both works feature a grand dwelling elsewhere in the image. In each work the small boat is laden with supplies, and both boats have a similar rower and a similar bow. I have attached two composites.

This looks much more accomplished than de Fleury, at least most of it - look, for example, at the completely different (and far more skilled) way the tree's foliage is depicted by the artist of this work. Some of the detail is less impressive, though - has it been over-cleaned? As for the similarities suggested, they could apply to myriad depictions of the Italian lakes by dozens of other artists.




(whose first names were actually John Victor, as I'm exploring on another discussion

Sorry, that last bit was a remnant from an earlier draft. I *am* exploring de Fleury elsewhere...but that's another story, and I didn't want to dwell on him here.

Although I still find the work by J V de Fleury offered by Marcie above as a comparison unconvincing, I have now looked at a lot more of his paintings while working on the other discussion. Some of them are much more skilled, and on reflection I don't rule him out. But what I said about numerous other good C19th artists who painted the Italian lakes still stands - and de Fleury does seem to have been a conscientious signer of his work.

The castle at the right should be identifiable

Osmund, "Some of them are much more skilled ..." may point to Miss Jane Vivian (de Fleury) as in the other discussion you refer to.

With apologies to the collection, are we sure this is Lake Como? A sheer cliff down to the water is atypical of Lake Como geography and I have been unable to find any images matching the building and cliff on the right side of the painting. I would have thought that this dramatic part of the image, if belonging to a place that generates so many images, would be replicated many times.

The rest of the image is pretty generic, although the mountain range in the distance does look convincingly alpine.

I agree with you, Alison. However, is it possible that the castle was based on Castello di Vezio (with a cliff added)? There is a photo on a Lake Como tourism website that shows it from the same angle as the castle in the painting. https://www.lakecomo.is/castles-around-lake-como/

Having started this hare running after seeing this picture hanging on semi-public corporate loan in Witshire, I fear Art Detective time is running out with no further elucidation since 2021. I'm grateful for the de Fleury name being thrown in, even if not suitable here, as its one I always forget but since things have got no further perhaps we should tick the matter off as apparently unresolvable at present.

I’m about to post an article from 1926 that discusses this work. It is by F. L. Bridell.

Just in the nick of time!

Here is the article in the ‘Hampshire Advertiser’ of Saturday 13 March 1926.

Sorry - I see that he was already considered and rejected.

James Baker Pyne (1800-1870)? He painted many Italian subjects, including the northern lakes, an example of which is here:
https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/lago-maggiore-104516/view_as/grid/search/2024--keyword:pyne/page/6

He often signed as 'J.B.PYNE' in capitals, giving us an 'N'. His autograph 'Picture Memoranda' in the National Art Library, V&A, would need to be checked.

Here is a link to Pyne’s ‘Lake Como’.

https://tinyurl.com/mrxzscnf

There is text on two sides of the carton that is on the deck of the large boat but I can’t read it.

If you mean this - see detail attached - it doesn't look like writing to me. The remains of the signature (if that's what it is) are on the foreground rowing boat further to the right, as clearly shown in the high-res image in the intro.

I think we have to admit that this cannot be attributed to a particular artist.