There’s a weathered, driftwood feel to this painting, "Archaeology" by California artist R.W. (Richard) Hackett (1917-1989). Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Hackett was undoubtedly inspired in this work by proximity to the Pacific. In the late 1930s, he studied at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco and then continued his painting career over the following decades with particular focus on scenes of the Bay, of the Mendocino coast, and California’s Gold Country. His work was exhibited at the University of Hawaii, as well as Oakland’s Art Center School. After marrying fellow artist Beverly Leslie, Hackett settled in Nevada City, in California's Gold Country where he continued to paint for the remainder of his life. The tiny tally of exports in Italian, applied to this work, adds to the fun.