The morning sunshine is already lighting up this busy harbour scene. Travellers and tradesmen are gradually starting day’s work. Many people will over the years have wondered at the group of hooded figures. They are presumably members of some fraternity who were linked to the Church for some charitable purpose and would process through the town on certain annual occasions. Such fraternities, consisting of a group of citizens, have a long history in Italy and still exist today.
The much-travelled Rørbye visited Italy twice, in 1834-37 and again in 1839-41, and the studio picture here is made up of studies from each journey. The picture was commissioned by Thorvaldsen and while being painted was inspected in the Copenhagen studio by the old sculptor as late as on the very day of his death, 24 March 1844. When it was exhibited in Charlottenborg later that year, the title in the catalogue was A Morning on the Piazza Marina at Palermo, on the right the Church of St. Maria della Catena, in the background the harbour and Monte Pellegrino, on the square scenes of everyday life in the South.
