Joseph Mallord William Turner

As Cecilia Powell first identified,1 the subject of this sketch is a view of Naples and Vesuvius seen from a point near the so-called Tomb of Virgil, a Roman burial vault which lies within the Posillipo hillside, above the opening of the Grotto of Posillipo (now known as the Crypta Neapolitana in present-day Parco Vergiliano). The vista looks east across the city and bay towards the distant peaks of Vesuvius and Monte Somma. Related studies can be seen on folio 72 verso (D16048; Turner Bequest CLXXXVI 70a), as well as in the Pompeii, Amalfi, Sorrento and Herculaneum sketchbook (Tate D15865–D15858; Turner Bequest CLXXXV 68–69a) and the Naples; Rome C. Studies sketchbook (Tate D16102; Turner Bequest CLXXXVII 14)