Hampton

c. 1725
Attributed to Michele Pagano

As was typical of their English counterparts, wealthy American who took “Grand Tours” of Europe often enjoyed collecting art of earlier eras. These were shipped home and prominently displayed, making a statement about the taste and refinement of the owner. This painting in the manner of Michele Pagano (1697-1732), a little known artist from Naples, Italy who specialized in large scale landscapes with figures, may have been acquired for Hampton by John and Eliza Ridgely during their several trips abroad in the 1830s-1850s.

Oil on canvas. H 149.9, W 204.47
Hampton National Historic Site, HAMP 873