Lot Essay
The views represented are rather unusual but topographically accurate. The arched ruin in the right of the foreground of the first picture is an exact rendering of a detail of the Palazzo Imperiale di Baia, still extant at Punta Epitaffio. The view of the Chiatamone Hill with the Castel dell'Ovo is a rare viewpoint, and has been slightly adjusted to afford a more detailed view of the city; the influence of Vernet and Bonavia are stronger in this picture than in the other three. The View of Naples from the Molo della Lanterna is interesting since the artist has avoided depicting the Lanterna in order to focus on the rocks under the left wall of the avenue going towards the Lanterna. The View of the Tomba di Virgilio is similar to the Vanvittelli's treatment of the same view in the Prado, but with slight alterations (N. Spinosa and L. De Mauro, Vedute napoletane del Settecento, Naples, 1989, p.227, fig. 31).
For the attribution, see ibid., p. 260-3, figs. 86-92).
For the attribution, see ibid., p. 260-3, figs. 86-92).