- Museum number
- 2018,7068.1
- Description
-
The Bay of Naples; seen from Posillipo, with the city rising on the left, buildings on shore in foreground left, smoking Vesuvius in distance to right, sail boats in front.
Watercolour and bodycolour on graphite sketch
- Production date
- 1777 (around)
- Dimensions
-
Height: 253 millimetres
-
Height: 308 millimetres
-
Width: 403 millimetres (Drawing)
-
Width: 503 millimetres (album sheet)
- Curator's comments
- This drawing was originally believed to be by the English artist William James Müller due to its compositional similarity to the artist’s 1840 oil painting, The Bay of Naples (Bristol Museum and Art Gallery) but was attributed to Charles Gore on stylistic grounds by the previous owners, John and Charlotte Gere. The layers of tiny brush strokes used to depict distant buildings and foliage are characteristic of Gore’s watercolours.
If the current attribution of this drawing is indeed accurate it is likely to have been created by Gore when he and the German artist Philip Hackert accompanied Richard Payne Knight on their expedition to Italy to document the volcanic landscapes of the country. On 12th April 1777 the trio left Naples beginning their excursion to Sicily. Payne Knight describes their departure as follows:
“As soon as one is out of the Port of Naples, the most magnificent scene opens itself on every side. The city rising gradually from the shore, Mount Vesuvius smoking on one side, with Sorento, Capri, Ischia, and Procida extending round to Cape Miseno in the form of an Amphitheatre, enriched with Palaces, Gardens, Woods and Ruins, are such an assemblage of objects , as are no where else to be seen. We enjoyed it in the utmost perfection, as the weather was extremely fine and the Spring in its bloom.” (Stumpf, p. 26)
Although this account describes a panoramic view of the bay from a boat rather than from the coastal viewpoint of the present drawing, the description of Naples rising from the shore, the smoking Vesuvius and fine spring weather are consistent with the composition in this drawing. If the attribution is correct, it is possible that the present drawing was executed at some point before their departure from Naples in 1777.
Another drawing in the BM collection by an Anonymous artist, but somewhat similar to Gore’s work, was drawn in 1790 and depicts a view of Posillipo (1994,0618.13). According to the inscription it was executed at Sir William Hamilton’s villa, Palazzo Sessa, alongside the artist Giovanni Battista Lusieri who was painting his View of the Bay of Naples at the time. However, it is uncertain that Gore was in the region at this time.
Literature: Kim Sloan and Ian Jenkins, Vases and Volcanoes: Sir William Hamilton and his Collection, (British Museum,1996), p. 289-290.
Claudia Stumpf (ed), Richard Payne Knight: Expedition into Sicily, (British Museum, 1986), p. 26.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- Aug 2018
- Acquisition notes
- Acquired as by William James Müller by John Gere on 18 Dec 1968 from Sabin Galleries Ltd.
This item has an uncertain or incomplete provenance for the years 1933-45. The British Museum welcomes information and assistance in the investigation and clarification of the provenance of all works during that era.
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 2018,7068.1
