Saverio della Gatta, Italian 1777-1829- View of the Bay of...

Saverio della Gatta,
Italian 1777-1829-

View of the Bay of Naples with Palazzo Donn'Anna and Capo Posillipo beyond;

bodycolour on paper, signed and dated '1813. / Xav. della Gatta.' (lower right), 30.5 x 46.5 cm.

Provenance:
Anon. sale, Picard Jean-Louis, Paris, 23 March 1995, lot 57.
Anon. sale, Christie's, Monaco, 30 June 1995, lot 23.
Private Collection, UK.

Note:
Della Gatta produced a number of views of his native Italy, and was particularly prolific in his depictions of Neapolitan landscapes. Indeed, he was one of the more skilful Neapolitan masters of the bodycolour technique, a medium that became increasingly popular for handsome 'vedute' like these, executed to satisfy the ever increasing demand from foreign visitors, eager to bring home a memento of their voyages. Not much is known about his beginnings, but della Gatta studied with the painter Jacopo Cestaro (1717-1778), and often signed his work with the name of Xavier. In addition to his colourful 'vedute', he became well known for his illustrations of Neapolitan folklore and costumes and received a commission from the royal family to record the traditional costumes of the Kingdom of Naples. In the present work, della Gatta utilises the small scale of the staffage to emphasise the size of the cliffs to the right, and the grandeur of the Palazzo Donn'Anna beyond, the romantic dilapidation of which proved an irresistible subject for many 18th- and 19th-century artists.