Alberto Pisa (Italian, 1864-1931) The Houses of Parliament from the Westminster Bridge Oil on canvas 27-3/8 x 41-1/2 inches (69.5 x 105.4 cm) Signed lower left: A. Pisa PROVENANCE: Milton Charles (M.C.) and Henrietta Charlotte (neé Heitzeberg) Peters, Omaha, Nebraska, by 1918; John and Irene Peters, acquired as a wedding gift from the above (parents of John Peters) in 1947; Thence by descent to present owner. This evocative view of London's Houses of Parliament with Big Ben towering against a moody sky is the work of Italian artist, Alberto Pisa, who specialized in picturesque landscapes featuring notable works of architecture and well-observed genre elements. Born in Ferrara and educated at the Academy in Florence, Pisa exhibited widely in Venice, Bologna, Rome, Florence and Paris. Ambitious both in scale and motif, the present work has been owned continuously by a single American family for nearly a century. It was purchased by the current owner's great-grandfather, Milton Charles Peters, a successful businessman from Omaha, Nebraska who owned and operated the M.C. Peters Mill Company there. Peters' mill produced a variety of different lines of food products for livestock, including the Arab Horse Feed line which was revolutionary for its day: it was the first mill in the United States to combine corn, oats, alfalfa, and molasses to create a healthier feed blend. Peters' fortunes dramatically improved during the First World War when his mill secured a lucrative contract with the US Army for the Arab grain blend to feed the Army's horses and mule teams. HID03101062020 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved