Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 19, 2026

The Dictation Lesson

The Dictation Lesson is a painting of italian verismo painter Demetrio Cosola. The painting is housed in Turin Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art. It is a symbolic representation of the establishment of public education in the Kingdom of Italy immediately after unification, and the opening of schools to women, both as pupils and teachers.

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Jul 19, 2026
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The Dictation Lesson
ArtistDemetrio Cosola
Year1891 (1891)
MediumPastel on panel
Dimensions185 cm × 95 cm (73 in × 37 in)
Location

The Dictation Lesson (in italian: Il dettato) is a painting of italian verismo painter Demetrio Cosola. The painting is housed in Turin Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art.12 It is a symbolic representation of the establishment of public education in the Kingdom of Italy immediately after unification, and the opening of schools to women, both as pupils and teachers.32

Other versions of the painting

1890 version of the painting, without the teacher source ↗

Cosola painted other two smaller versions of The Dictation Lesson (both oil on canvas): one dated 1890 without the teacher, ad a second one with a nun instead, titled The Kindergarten.3

References

References

  1. Gianna Masini. "Il dettato di Demetrio Cosola" (in Italian). Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  2. "Il dettato". www.doc.mode.unibo.it (in Italian). 1891. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  3. "Il dettato". Memoria Scolastica (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-08-28.