This silk handkerchief carries a poem written for Diotti, which was commissioned by the Community of Casalmaggiore to welcome him back in 1840. The painter, after having lived 30 years in Bergamo, came back to live in his hometown where he had old friends and admirers, who welcomed him with enthusiasm.
The transfer from Bergamo had been bittersweet: Diotti had several health problems and had hoped to retire with a respectable pension. The negotiation with the Accademia Carrara around his retirement was very long: at first, he managed to appoint his student Enrico Scuri his substitute; only in September 1845 – after further aggravations to his health conditions – Diotti was dismissed definitively.
