Edward Lear, Bordighera.
Signed and inscribed Bordighiera [sic] Edw Lear del (in ink, lower left). Watercolour and bodycolour, with pen and sepia ink. 14.5 x 22.5cm; 5¾ x 8¾in
In December 1864, Lear would have arrived in Bordighera, on the French-Italian border, returning from his walking tour along the Riviera to Genoa. Shelley, a poet whom Lear much admired, had been enraptured by the place. In correspondence, Lear praised the creature comforts and admired the cleanliness, the sanitation and the cuisine. From a light four-wheeled carriage called a vettura, Lear enjoyed the “poke up queer lanes & into olive woods & palm gardens to find a `view`. Very beautiful semi oriental places, & Corfu-like groves of olives..”. This Italian sojourn left a strong impression: `Exit from Italy which I am vexed at.’
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