Joseph Mallord William Turner

As Finberg first identified, the sequence of sketches on folios 3 verso–12 (D15913–D15919 and D15922–D15930) represents detailed panoramic views of Naples drawn from the sea, perhaps dating from the outward or return trip to Paestum and the Amalfi coast which Turner undertook during his sojourn in the city.1 This study depicts a view of the waterfront from the south-east between Santa Lucia and the old port. The details are rather faint but it is just possible to make out along the shoreline the long façade of the Palazzo Reale and the Castel Nuovo with the Mole extending into the sea in front. Rising above the coast on the left-hand side is the hill surmounted by Castel Sant’Elmo and the Certosa di San Martino, whilst to the right is Capodimonte. The composition continues on the opposite sheet of the double-page spread, see folio 9 verso (D15925).

Also inverted on this page is a rough, outline drawing of an unidentified landscape view.