Old painting signed Pietro Michis, interior scene, 19th century.

Mixed media on paper. Signed in pencil on the back. Pietro Michis specialised in genre scenes, often set in "historical" or antique-style settings, like this curious and amusing scene: in her room, a lady, assisted by her nurse or companion, attempts to write a letter, with scattered fragments on the floor indicating her unsatisfactory attempts, while behind the screen, the servant of the letter's recipient waits, yawning. The work is presented in a period frame.