Joseph Mallord William Turner

This page contains part of a panoramic view of Naples seen from the top of the Scala Montesanto (Montesanto Steps) on the northern slopes below Castel Sant’Elmo, near present day Corso Vittorio Emanuele. This part of the vista looks east across the roofs and domes of the city towards Vesuvius and the adjacent peak of Monte Somma. The general topography of the area has been much altered since the early nineteenth century and the buildings in the foreground appear to have been demolished during urban restructuring projects such as the building of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the funicular routes. The composition continues on the opposite sheet of the double-page spread, see folio 51 (D16008; Turner Bequest CLXXXVI 49).