"Mount Vesuvius from the Bay of Naples" by Alessandro La Volpe

Oil on panel, signed and dated 1894 in the lower left and inscribed on the reverse. The frame measures 15.25" x 19.25". Leader was born in Worcester as Benjamin Leader Williams, the son, and first child of eleven children, of notable civil engineer Edward Leader Williams (1802–79) and Sarah Whiting (1801–88). His father was described as a "non conformist dissenter" and his mother was a Quaker – their marriage in an Anglican church resulted in them being disowned by the Society of friends. Leader's father was a keen amateur artist – a friend of John Constable – and Benjamin would often accompany him on sketching trips along the banks of the River Severn. His brother, also Edward Leader Williams, later became a notable civil engineer who was knighted for his work, and is now mainly remembered for designing Manchester ship canal...

This oil on canvas is signed and dated in the lower right and measures 32.5" x 37" including the frame. The scene depicts a young lady playing her guitar by the light of the fire. ...