Signed and dated 1925, this large oil by Cesare Maggi (1881–1961) depicts Il Lago Blu, Breuil-Cervinia, Val d'Aosta, Italy – the Matterhorn seen from Cervinia.

The oft-photographed and visited Lago Blu lies at 1,980m in Italy's Aosta Valley. Under optimal conditions, il Cervino (the Matterhorn) is reflected in the lake. Nearly one hundred years on since Maggi painted this, the snow cap and the glacier on the mountain's long west flank has all but disappeared. Seen from the south side, the Matterhorn's sharp, pyramidical profile, nonetheless, rivals the more famous view from the Swiss side at Zermatt.

Closely aligned with the work and style of Giovanni Segantini, Maggi was one of the leading representatives of the second generation of Divisionist painters in Italy. Having studied in Florence, Milan and Paris, Maggi spent time painting in the Engadine and the Val d'Aosta before moving to Turin, where he signed a contract in 1900 with the leading dealer and promoter of the Divisionist painters, Vittore Grubicy. Maggi took part in the major Italian exhibitions of his time, gaining a reputation as the Pittore delle montagne (the mountain painter), and in 1912 the Venice Biennale devoted an entire room to his work. He was made professor of painting at Turin's Albertina Academy in 1936.

Collectors of Italian Divisionism, Segantini circle painters, and Matterhorn/Cervino views from the Italian side will find this a striking large-format example of Maggi's mature Alpine work, distinguished from his smaller plein-air panel studies by its scale and finish.