Francesco Mancini (1830–1905)

In 1844 Francesco Mancini became a student at the Naples Royal Institute of Fine Arts, where he studied drawing and attended Gabriele Smargiassi’s course on landscape from 1846.

He also tried his hand at history painting and presented scenes from the struggle for national liberation in Florence at the Esposizione Nazionale di Firenze of 1861.

A leading figure in Neapolitan cultural life, Mancini became a member of the Società Promotrice di Belle Arti there in 1862 and was a regular participant in its exhibitions.

His landscapes inspired by the countryside and customs of the Abruzzi, Apulia, and Calabria regions were accompanied in this period by his more fashionable scenes of city life painted during frequent stays in Paris and London, which found great favour with the collectors of the time.

Other works are: Veduta di Popoli; Seascape of Ischia; Alpine Locale; Mattino estivo; Ritorno dalla pena; and Tramonto.