Arthur Dudley was a sought after watercolour painter, extremely popular with the Edwardian public. He lived in London and Bath, exhibiting at the Royal Academy, Royal Institute, RBA and elsewhere with a firm following from the people of his day. His chosen pseudonym, Giovanni Barbaro, under which he exhibited, is an appellation redolent of youth, artistry and Mediterranean sensuality which suited the exotic subject matter of his paintings.

Like many artists at the turn of the century ,Barbaro turned to the vibrant colours and sensuality of the warm south for inspiration. This exquisite watercolour is a superb example - a celebration of Mediterranean beauty and very much in the spirit of the aesthetic movement and ‘art for art’s sake’ which his contemporaries Albert Moore, Lord Leighton and others were championing.