Gaetano Chierici (Italian, 1838-1920)

This painting is one of the largest and finest variants of one of Chierici's most famous compositions, and is particularly close to a work in the Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan.
Chierici was the most important Italian genre painter of his day, and the first to find popular success outside of his own country, notably in England and Austria. His amusing narratives, usually centred around children, are notable for a technique which renders objects in minute, almost photographic detail. Achieved through the fine application of multiple layers of thin paints and glazes, this technique renders brushstrokes almost invisible, and gives objects and extraoradinary plasticity and sheen.