An original sepia photograph portrait of the Italian composer which he signs and inscribes to Ileana Leonidoff, the founder and lead dancer of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, with praise for her work in his ballet La Giara. Also with a two-bar autograph musical quotation at lower right (presumably from La Giara).

Casella belonged to the generazione dell'ottanta ("generation of the 80s"): a small group of composers who were born around 1880 and chose to concentrate on instrumental music, breaking from the generations-long focus in Italy on operatic composition. The group, which also included Malipiero and Respighi, became quite popular after Puccini's death in 1924, though their works are not as frequently performed today.