signed Narcisse.D.P(lower right)Narcisse-Virgile Díaz de la Peña (1807 - 1876 ) was a French painter of Spanish parents .For Pierre Miquel, the work of Díaz de la Pena unfolds in three periods: The first goes from 1830 to 1844, characterized by works with Hispanic, Oriental themes with a poor palette in pure tones, in dark and contrasting tones made with a heavy touch. The second from 1844 to 1860 saw the appearance of brighter touches with pure shades of light blue, bright yellow and carmine. During this period, Díaz painted in Barbizon. The third period, from 1860, manifests itself with an amplitude of volume, a certain sumptuousness of color with contrasting tones and strong values, but with greater freedom of execution.Diaz's colors are unfortunately known to 'change' or fade quickly due to faulty chemistry and unstable and dangerous use of colors, according to Monet "One cannot imagine how beautiful Diaz's paintings were when painted, they were real gems... Obviously his technique betrayed him, today everything is tarnished, they have lost their quality."60*90cm oil on canvas Provenance :Private Collection,France