The Old Market of Florence

Telemaco Signorini · 1881
Oil on canvas
Milan, Italy - Private Collection
LDA · XXVII · MMXXV

Source
Book · I Macchiaioli di Raffaele De Grada · Fratelli Fabbri Editori · 1967 · p. 39

Signorini depicts the historic Florentine market at the height of commercial activity, using crowding and overlapping forms to convey the density of urban life rather than individual character. The painting functions as a record of working-class commerce before the 19th-century restructuring of the city, preserving architectural and social details that later disappeared. Figures are arranged horizontally across the composition, emphasising collective presence rather than hierarchy. The vantage point opens deep into the scene, allowing the viewer to read it as a chronicle of labour, exchange and spatial organisation. The work aligns with the Macchiaioli interest in documenting contemporary life with immediacy and natural light while maintaining historical fidelity.

Reposting welcome; please credit Libreria d’Arte - Studio Soli.