Watercolour

12 1/4 x 18 in. (31 x 46 cm)

Cundall traveled extensively in Italy. In 1922 he made a painting trip accompanied by his friend the artist Henry Rushbury.  In an unpublished account Rushbury recalled that whilst working in Orvieto it became clear that the strife between Fascists and Communists was coming to a head.  'The two sides were marching about the ancient city in explosive mmod.  "One morning" says Rusbury, "there was such a great commotion that we decided to leave for Rome.  We arrived at the railway station, loaded with our painting gear, to find Fascist youth in possession.  They received us with shouts of welcome and we were bundled into a carriage.  The 'march' on Rome had begun!"

The equestrian monument dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi,  on the  Piazza Garibaldi, Rome,  consists of a bronze statue  on a  marble base. Cundall's view, possible done rom memory, appears to have taken certain liberties with the equestrian group. During the Fascist era the monument was altered to include symbols of the new regime.

As well as visiting Rome and Orvietto Cundall spent time in the village of Anticoli Corardo, a hill-top artist's community south of Rome.