Most of what is known of Ricciardelli's life is from De Dominici's 1742 edition of artist's lives. He was first taught by his father, the Neapolitan landscape painter, Giuseppe Ricciardelli. Following instruction from Niccolo Bonito he was apprenticed in Rome to Jan Frans van Bloemen, L'Orrizonte. In his early career De Dominici records Ricciardelli working for the Bourbon court at the Palazzo Reale in Naples as well as executing some landscape decorations for the Villa Reale de Portici towards the end of the 1740's, both now lost. He took inspiration from Antonio Joli in painting vedute and seascapes partly aimed at the travellers who visited Naples on the Grand Tour. It was only in the second half of the 18th century that Joli, Ricciardelli, Pietro Fabris and Pietro Antoniani created what can be called the Neapolitan school of view painting, transforming their style from the traditional vedute to a new conception of the panoramic portrayal of the urban city. This was given an international character by its association with such large scale undertakings as the illustrations for Sir William Hamilton, engraved by H. Guttenberg for Voyage pittoresque ou description des Royaumes de Naples et de Sicile and published in 1781 by the Abbé Richard de Saint Non. There is scarce knowledge of Ricciardelli working abroad though it is recorded that he was in Dublin during 1758 and 1759. From there he traveled to London where he remained until about 1777, occasionally journeying back to Naples. His prolonged absences from his native city and his popularity with the British Grand Tourists who visited Naples may account for the number of replicas of his more famous views.

The present work is one of several versions of the view of Posillipo from Chiaia by the artist. A larger variant was sold at Christie's, London, Dec. 1, 1978, lot 116, now in the Alisio Collection, Naples (see N. Spinosa and L. de Mauro, Vedute napoletane del Settecento, 1989, p. 194, no. 87 and p. 75, pl. 46). A further version with similar figure groups was sold at Christie's, London, July 5, 1991, lot 105 (#50,000=$81,500)