Straw Hat with Roses, Carnations, and Cornflowers

In the second half of the 19th century, Italian artists developed an exceptionally skilful manner of watercolour painting, a striking example of which is this remarkable still life by the flower and decorative painter Angelo Rossi. At that time, most Italian artists favoured genre scenes from the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) and countries such as Egypt. Their watercolours soon found their way to the Netherlands through the international art trade.