View of the Bay of Naples from the Hills of Posillipo – Grand Tour Gouache, c.1850

Gouache on paper, housed in a period gilt frame with hand-painted mount

A luminous mid-19th century gouache capturing a sweeping view of the Bay of Naples, seen from the elevated vantage point of the Posillipo hills. This classic Grand Tour composition features tall stone pines in the foreground - iconic emblems of the southern Italian landscape, framing a herder with goats overlooking the calm, sail-dotted bay. Mount Vesuvius rises in the haze beyond, its peak just visible above the city’s rooftops.

Executed in delicate pastel tones with crisp foreground detail, the scene evokes the idealised pastoral Italy so sought after by 19th-century travellers. The original hand-painted mount and giltwood frame suggest this work was created as a refined souvenir for the Grand Tourist market  

Unsigned, but in the manner of the Neapolitan school, echoing the style of Giacinto Gigante and the artists of the Posillipo circle.

31 x 25 cm (frames)