Joseph Mallord William Turner

The majority of Turner’s sketches in Naples represent views along the seafront. This study depicts part of Santa Lucia, an historic district which stretches between the port to the Castel dell’Ovo. The prospect looks north-east along the shoreline towards the Castel Nuovo and the old port, where a number of ships are docked within the breakwater. The Mole lighthouse is visible near the centre of the composition, and Vesuvius dominates the horizon beyond. The structure in the right-hand foreground is one of a number of Baroque fountains or religious tabernacles which could once be found all along the Neapolitan quayside. For further sketches see folios 76–76 verso (D16055–D16056; Turner Bequest CLXXXVI 74–74a), and the Gandolfo to Naples sketchbook (Tate D15675, D15677–D15678; Turner Bequest CLXXXIV 58c, 59a–60).