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Lot Essay
We are grateful to Ralph Toledano for confirming the attribution after inspection of the original.
Joli was one of the most popular and widely travelled of the 18th century vedutisti. After training in Rome with Giovanni Paolo Panini he became a scene painter in his native Modena and Perugia. From 1732-42 he worked at a number of theatres in Venice, where he took the opportunity to develop as a vedute painter under the influence of Canaletto and Bellotto. He then travelled through Europe with extended stays in London (1744-8) and Madrid (1750-4), painting topographical views as well as continuing to paint scenery for major theatres. His work in these years attracted a great deal of attention and he gained important commissions from major aristocratic patrons as well as the Spanish Royal Court.
In 1754 he obtained permission from the Spanish King to return to Italy, most probably to Naples, although he was in Venice again the following year to help found the Academy of Painting and Sculpture. It was in Naples, however, that Joli achieved his greatest success, becoming the court painter to Charles of Bourbon, King of Naples (from 1759 Charles III of Spain). Indeed it was here that he settled for the rest of his life. In addition to a succession of view paintings he was also appointed the head scene painter at the San Carlo Theatre and he played a major role organising court entertainments and ceremonies. Some of his most important canvases record elaborate court festivals, and in particular the momentus departure of Charles of Bourbon for Spain in 1759, which he captured in a series of pictures depicting the colourful fleet leaving the Bay of Naples from a number of different viewpoints (now mostly in the Museo del Prado, Madrid; the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna; and the Museo Nazionale di San Martino, Naples; see M. Manzelli, Antonio Joli, Venice, 1999, nos. 1-3, 11-12).
Naples was one of the highlights of the Grand Tour, particularly after the discovery and excavation of the nearby ancient sites of Herculaneum in 1739 and Pompeii a decade later. Joli's topographical views of Naples, and its surrounding countryside, were highly sought after by the wealthy aristocrats who visited the city. His patrons included Sir William Hamilton and Lord John Brudenell (later Marquis of Monthermer), who commissioned a number of views of Naples and other southern cities from the artist (many now in the collection of the Duke of Buccleuch, Beaulieu). Joli also produced such views for the Neapolitan Royal family, who then sent them to foreign courts as diplomatic gifts.
By the standards of the time Joli's veduti were distinguished for their topographical accuracy, as well as their refined elegance and subtle lighting effects, and the present pair of views are no exception. The vantagepoints were always carefully selected to create dramatic panoramas and yet Joli's technical excellence meant that it is always possible to recognise individual landmarks and important buildings. In the present works the Castel Sant'Elmo and the Certosa di San Martino are visible high up on the Vomero, while the Castel del'Ovo and, in the view from the East of the city, the Castel Nouvo and the Lanterna del Molo with the port are easily spotted. Joli also typically included a variety of ships in the Bay, to add a sense of scale and movement to the composition. A similar pair of views, of slightly larger dimensions, were sold in these Rooms on 5 July 1985, lot 50; and another similar pair are also in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inv. nos. 8627 and 8727).
Labels on the reverse of the present pair state that they were in the collection of the late Lord Balfour, and hung either side of the mantel in the Drawing Room. This is most probably Arthur James Balfour, the 1st Earl of Balfour (1848-1930) who served as Prime Minister from 1902-5. His country seat was Burpham Lodge, near Arundel, Sussex, and it was probably here that the pictures hung in the Drawing Room.
Joli was one of the most popular and widely travelled of the 18th century vedutisti. After training in Rome with Giovanni Paolo Panini he became a scene painter in his native Modena and Perugia. From 1732-42 he worked at a number of theatres in Venice, where he took the opportunity to develop as a vedute painter under the influence of Canaletto and Bellotto. He then travelled through Europe with extended stays in London (1744-8) and Madrid (1750-4), painting topographical views as well as continuing to paint scenery for major theatres. His work in these years attracted a great deal of attention and he gained important commissions from major aristocratic patrons as well as the Spanish Royal Court.
In 1754 he obtained permission from the Spanish King to return to Italy, most probably to Naples, although he was in Venice again the following year to help found the Academy of Painting and Sculpture. It was in Naples, however, that Joli achieved his greatest success, becoming the court painter to Charles of Bourbon, King of Naples (from 1759 Charles III of Spain). Indeed it was here that he settled for the rest of his life. In addition to a succession of view paintings he was also appointed the head scene painter at the San Carlo Theatre and he played a major role organising court entertainments and ceremonies. Some of his most important canvases record elaborate court festivals, and in particular the momentus departure of Charles of Bourbon for Spain in 1759, which he captured in a series of pictures depicting the colourful fleet leaving the Bay of Naples from a number of different viewpoints (now mostly in the Museo del Prado, Madrid; the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna; and the Museo Nazionale di San Martino, Naples; see M. Manzelli, Antonio Joli, Venice, 1999, nos. 1-3, 11-12).
Naples was one of the highlights of the Grand Tour, particularly after the discovery and excavation of the nearby ancient sites of Herculaneum in 1739 and Pompeii a decade later. Joli's topographical views of Naples, and its surrounding countryside, were highly sought after by the wealthy aristocrats who visited the city. His patrons included Sir William Hamilton and Lord John Brudenell (later Marquis of Monthermer), who commissioned a number of views of Naples and other southern cities from the artist (many now in the collection of the Duke of Buccleuch, Beaulieu). Joli also produced such views for the Neapolitan Royal family, who then sent them to foreign courts as diplomatic gifts.
By the standards of the time Joli's veduti were distinguished for their topographical accuracy, as well as their refined elegance and subtle lighting effects, and the present pair of views are no exception. The vantagepoints were always carefully selected to create dramatic panoramas and yet Joli's technical excellence meant that it is always possible to recognise individual landmarks and important buildings. In the present works the Castel Sant'Elmo and the Certosa di San Martino are visible high up on the Vomero, while the Castel del'Ovo and, in the view from the East of the city, the Castel Nouvo and the Lanterna del Molo with the port are easily spotted. Joli also typically included a variety of ships in the Bay, to add a sense of scale and movement to the composition. A similar pair of views, of slightly larger dimensions, were sold in these Rooms on 5 July 1985, lot 50; and another similar pair are also in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inv. nos. 8627 and 8727).
Labels on the reverse of the present pair state that they were in the collection of the late Lord Balfour, and hung either side of the mantel in the Drawing Room. This is most probably Arthur James Balfour, the 1st Earl of Balfour (1848-1930) who served as Prime Minister from 1902-5. His country seat was Burpham Lodge, near Arundel, Sussex, and it was probably here that the pictures hung in the Drawing Room.