The Bay of Naples with Mounts Vesuvius and Somma

1782/1794

Giovanni Battista Lusieri

Associated Names
Giovanni Battista Lusieri

Artist, Italian, c. 1755 - 1821

The image depicts a coastal cityscape with distant mountains. The horizon is just above the center, dividing the city and bay from the sky. Detailed brushstrokes are visible, especially in the buildings and clouds. The color palette is soft, with pale blues and grays in the sky and earthy browns and beiges in the city and mountains. A sailboat is in the water, with the city extending to the right and mountains in the background, partly covered by clouds. The scene is serene and picturesque, showcasing the beauty of a coastal city under a clear sky.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    watercolor with pen and black ink over graphite on laid paper mounted to paperboard

  • Credit Line

    Woodner Collection, Gift of Andrea Woodner

  • Dimensions

    overall: 62.8 x 93.8 cm (24 3/4 x 36 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2006.11.67

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist's heirs; purchased by the 7th Earl of Elgin (1824-1841); by descent to the 11th Earl of Elgin and the 15th Earl of Kincardine; (their sale, London, Sotheby's, 30 June 1986, lot 110); purchased by Ian Woodner, New York; by inheritance to his daughters, Andrea and Dian Woodner, New York, 1990.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1990

  • In the Shadow of Vesuvius: Views of Naples from Baroque to Romanticism, 1631-1830, Accademia Italiana delle Arti e delle Arti Applicate, London, 1990, 128, as Naples from Mergellina (reproduced p. 83 and cover).

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1990, no. 47.

  • All'ombra del Vesuvio: Napoli nella veduta europea dal Quattrocento all'Ottocento, Castel Sant'Elmo, Naples, 1990, 407 (reproduced p. 147).

1995

  • The Touch of the Artist: Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995-1996, no. 97.

2006

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2006 - 2007.

2008

  • Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2008-2009.

2012

  • Expanding Horizons: Giovanni Battista Lusieri and the Panoramic Landscape, Royal Scottish Academy Building, Edinburgh, 2012.

2017

  • The Woodner Collections: Master Drawings from Seven Centuries, NGA, 2017.

Bibliography

1987

  • Spinosa, Nicola. Pittura napoletana del Settecento dal Rococò al Classicismo. Naples, 1987: no. 342, pl. 75, as Napoli da ponente.

1989

  • Spinosa, Nicola and Leonardo Di Mauro. Vedute napoletane del Settecento. Naples, 1989: 161-162, no. 183, pl. 109, as Mergellina.

1992

  • Seta, Cesare de. L'Italia del Grand Tour: Da Montaigne a Goethe. Naples, 1992: 185 (reproduced), as Napoli da Mergellina.

Wikidata ID

Q64572327

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