This exquisite late-19th-century watercolour by Italian artist Giuseppe Signorini (1857-1932) depicts two art connoisseurs musing over an old master engraving in a splendid palatial setting. Hailing from Rome, Signorini was a distinguished watercolourist famed for his precise figurative works.Dressed in fashions befitting the mid-18th century, two enlightened gentlemen browse a fine portfolio of drawings and prints. It’s a meeting of minds, an exchange of views between two aficionados. Behind them, an enchanting 17th-century tapestry adorns the back wall while the Venus de Milo stands imperiously upon a plinth.One of the finest watercolourists of his generation, Signorini was a master draughtsman, producing an array of meticulously handled works. He trained at the revered Accademia di San Luca and undertook further tuition with Aurelio Tiratelli (1842-1900). His training was focused on studying the masters of antiquity, particularly via classical statues, in an effort to hone h...