The present painting is a study for the painting “Nannina. En napolitansk blomstersælgerske” (The Hirschsprung Collection).

Krøyer painted the present study during his long trip abroad in the years 1877–1882, when he visited the sculptor Pasquale Fosca (1852–1928) in Naples. Here, Krøyer had the opportunity to test his talent as a sculptor with Fosca as his teacher, the only instruction Krøyer ever received in this subject. The work on the study of the beautiful flower seller was part of a commission given by Heinrich Hirschsprung (1836–1908) before the departure. Krøyer was allowed to use both Fosca's studio and his pretty model, the 16-year-old Nannina, for the assignment. The finished painting, now at The Hirschsprung Collection, became immensely popular when it was exhibited at Charlottenborg in 1881.

There was great interest at the time for motifs with beautiful young girls from the southern part of Europe surrounded by brightly coloured flowers. Earlier, Krøyer had used the motif when he painted “Two Gypsy Women” in Granada, where the young girl sits with flowers in her lap in the process of tying a bouquet; and the Spanish woman “La Frescita”, who looks at the artist with a flirtatious look with flowers in her hair and a floral shawl. Both dated 1878. We also find paintings with similar motifs by e.g. Vilhelm Rosenstand (1838–1915), Edvard Petersen (1841–1911) and Kristian Zahrtmann (1843–1917) from the same period.

Provenance: Bruun Rasmussen auction 497, 1987 no. 37, ill. p. 37. Bruun Rasmussen auction 763, 2006 no. 2057, ill. p. 67.