Signed and dated 1945, the scene is inscribed at the lower right, "La ex por. S. Maria da Via delle Terme," which refers to the historic Florentine street Via Por Santa Maria, now an exclusive shopping street leading to the Ponte Vecchio, as viewed from its intersection with the Via delle Terme (so named after the Roman baths once in the area). In the background is the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio . Given the date of the work, 1945, and the rubble in the foreground, the "ex" must allude to the German troops having blown up buildings along the Via Por Santa Maria when retreating in 1944. The inscriptions fit the Florentine artist Vieri Torelli (1873-1959), but the published T of his signatures are unlike the uncertain first letter of the surname inscribed in this watercolor, although those examples are from much earlier dates in Torelli's career.