Painting in ornate frame

Sorry to just have the one limited photo. This was taken quickly on my phone, not my greatest photographic effort...

From the house where a friend of a friend inherited things from her family and trying to just give her a sense of what needs additional research. Painting was formerly in a wood frame painted gold, frame was pretty substantial, and if original to the piece was maybe 100 yrs old or so as a guess. I do not have a photo of the back of this painting, nor the frame. Picture measures roughly 30 by 20 inches, unsigned.

I know a long shot with the limited view, but any thoughts on this?

 

It's not Easter. It certainly is interesting. There are Italian (Roman?) looking buildings in the background. Now I'll have to start looking at myths regarding families hiding in caves.

 

Catacombs? But the clothing looks more medieval than early Christian martyr.

A case of Roman Romanovs? But they don't look pursued...or captured...

This reminds me of something I have seen in the Metropolitan Museum. Not the same, but something is similar...give a year or so, and it will come to me.

 

Glad you're posting, m'dear. "Step right in here and see my cave paintings" would work if it were just a pretty lady.

 

David hid his family and small army of soldiers in caves while he was being pursued by Saul. However, I doubt they would have hidden so close to a metropolitan area.

 

Got it. The painting is much in the manner of Thomas Cole: small people in the foreground, romantic architecture in the distance.

 

Thank you all for taking a look. Any thoughts on whether I should recommend further research? Hard to tell with just this one photo. My feeling is that it is kind of interesting, but I didn't think it was something that would have huge value -- but certainly don't want to say that and then have it turn out to be some great treasure.

Maybe I'll just say paintings aren't my area of expertise...

Thanks!

 

It might be a Grand Tour souvenir ,seems like I read somewhere a lot of those paintings werent signed?

 

You know... I think it might be something like a guide leading a group of Romans on a visit to the Lupercal.

Debora

 

I think it's Grand Tour stuff. Late 18th, early 19th C, or a copy thereof.

If you search Naples + cavern (or grotto), you'll see plenty of similar.

Getty Images has something called 'Tarantella con Posillipo sullo sfondo', by Pietro Fabris. Very similar in terms of cavern with architecture in background, but if you search Posillipo, You'll get a lot of grotto pictures that don't look like this.

 

Thinking this Grand Tour suggestion is a good lead. Thank you Johnny, Moreotherstuff and others!

 

This is really quite good and there is a market for these kinds of works. I would say it's Neapolitan, circa 1850.