John Wharlton Bunney (1828-1882)

Bunney was a pupil of Ruskin's at the Working Men's College in the mid to late 1850s and lived in Venice from 1870-1882. The artist often painted his Venetian views in early morning or late afternoon light, his sensitive handling of the oil medium was perfect for capturing delicate tonalities. Miss Lippincote commissioned the present picture in June 1880 when she visited Bunney's studio; it was duly sent to her in the September of that year.