Joseph Mallord William Turner Bay of Naples from Posillipo 1819

This view of Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples is taken from the coast of Posillipo to the south-west. Visible along the shore are a number of the historic villas and palaces which characterise this part of the coast, including in the centre, the Palazzo Donn’Anna, see folio 5 (D16092), whilst in the middle distance is the city of Naples with the heights of Castel Sant’Elmo rising above the headland of Castel dell’Ovo. Turner’s viewpoint appears to be a point on the coastal road of Via Posillipo, near the villas of Roccaromana and Martinelli (near present-day Piazza San Luigi). Related views can be seen on another sheet within this sketchbook is folio 7 (D16094), and also in the Naples, Paestum, Rome sketchbook (Tate D16075; Turner Bequest CLXXXVI 84). The neo-classical structure in the top right-hand corner of the composition remains unidentified, although it may be the same building which appears in another sketch (Tate D16074; Turner Bequest CLXXXVI 83a). The

Technical notes:

Long detached from the Naples, Rome C. Studies sketchbook, this sheet was perhaps once folio 19 (see the concordance in the introduction).

Verso:

Not visible. Stuck down to mount.