Ciociara dell'Abruzzo - Bartolomeo Pinelli

A detailed etching by Bartolomeo Pinelli depicting a woman and two children in traditional Abruzzese dress, set against a Roman backdrop.

Bartolomeo Pinelli was a prolific Roman artist, known for his documentation of the customs, costumes, and daily life of the Italian populace during the early nineteenth century. This etching, titled Ciociara dell'Abruzzo, depicts a woman from the Abruzzo region carrying a child on her back while holding the hand of a young boy. The figures are rendered with the clear, precise line work characteristic of Pinelli's graphic output. His approach to the human form reflects the influence of Neoclassical training, yet his subject matter remains firmly grounded in the ethnographic observation of rural life.

The composition places the figures in the foreground, set against a simplified backdrop that includes the Pyramid of Cestius, a common landmark in Pinelli's Roman scenes. The woman wears traditional attire, including a head covering and a heavy apron, while the boy carries a staff. Pinelli uses cross-hatching to define the shadows and textures of the clothing, creating a sense of volume without relying on complex tonal washes. The print captures a moment of quiet movement, reflecting the artist's interest in the itinerant populations that frequented the streets of Rome.

Pinelli's work serves as a record of regional identities that were rapidly changing during his lifetime. His prints were widely circulated, appealing to both local residents and the many foreign travellers on the Grand Tour who sought souvenirs of Italian life. This piece is an example of his ability to combine technical precision with a narrative focus on the everyday experiences of the Italian peasantry. The clarity of the lines and the balanced arrangement of the figures make this a representative work of his extensive series on Italian regional costumes.