The “Cascata di Buffalora” is just outside Soazza, a little west of Chiavenna. The drawing has a strong imprint of Towne’s large Swiss drawings, which is intriguing as Towne had barely begun the series by the time he was passing Soazza on 29 August 1781; furthermore, the falls were approached not from the road up to Splugen, but on the adjacent route into Switzerland, via the San Bermardino pass. Perhaps, then, it is a drawing in Towne’s style, but not copied from his “on the spot” work; or else Towne and Smith made a detour somehow to visit the cascade.

The drawing is attributed by the museum to John “Warwick” Smith, presumably based on Yvonne Ffrench’s identification. The rationale is presumably that, as it is in Towne’s style but not by Towne himself, it must be by the person who accompanied him through Switzerland. However, it is unlikely that Smith made the drawing, as it is quite unlike any drawings he is known to have made during or as a result of his travels with Towne. 

Leonard Duke once owned a drawing that was probably from the same group as this (see the Comment at FT879b).