Can you please help identify this artist?

I found two paintings in a tip in England and brought them home. The
flirtatious old man makes me chuckle.
I’d love to identify the artist and approximate date. Can anyone help? I can’t tell if the name starts with an M, A, or S?

 

Looks like a little Italian genre scene. Could/would you post a photograph of both works from front and back including frame? Also close-up photographs of any labels, stickers or handwritten notations on the back. If there's another signature, please post a close up photograph of that too.

Debora

 

It looks like Merola, but I didn't find other paintings by an artist with that name that match the style.

 

Ah sorry. It wouldn’t allow me to use the full image as size was too big...

That was my first guess too, but the signatures are slightly different so I’m not certain of spelling.

 

What a fun tip find. Not uncommon subjects for Italian genre scenes -- an elderly man/woman in a domestic situation. If you do a Google Image search, lots of other examples will come up such as the one below. As decorative paintings rather than fine art, you may never be able to identify the painter.

Debora

 

I just took a look at the two signatures. Both appear to be "Merola" but they don't appear to be by the same hand. I would suspect work of a little painting factory.

Debora

 

The young woman's costume is from Southern Italy. I also think Naples but someone else on the forum will know better than I.

Debora