The Castel Nuovo, Naples

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The Castel Nuovo, Naples
The Castel Nuovo, Naples
The Castel Nuovo, Naples
Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
title=Credit line
Artist
Richard Wilson (1713/14-1782)
Title
The Castel Nuovo, Naples
Date
c.1752-54 (undated)
Medium
Black chalk and some traces of heightening with white on grey paper
Dimensions
Metric: 239 x 421 mm
Imperial: 9 3/8 x 16 9/16 in.
Accession Number
WA1915.7
Wilson Online Reference
D294
Description
A near view southwards across the Bay of Naples towards the upper sections of the castle, with castellated turrets, curtain walls, a square keep and a campanile
Exhibited
Manchester 1988 (107)
Provenance
Earl of Warwick; T.W. Jackson; purchased through the Magdalen College Fund, 1915
Signature/inscription
Unsigned; no inscription
Collectors' marks
[1] Lower right corner: Earl of Warwick (Lugt 2600)
Subject
The Castel Nuovo, begun in 1279 on the orders of Charles of Anjou, still stands as a major architectural landmark in front of the Piazza Municipio and Palazzo San Giacomo in central Naples. In Wilson's day it was a royal residence and fortress.
Critical commentary
Wilson visited Naples and the surrounding area in 1752 and in the spring of 1753 with Lord Dartmouth. He probably went there again in 1753 or 1754 and perhaps in 1756. Drawings by him of the city itself are rare, however, possibly because of 'some Bourbon prohibition', as suggested by Ford.
Previous Cat/Ref Nos
1893
Bibliography
Ashmolean Museum Annual Report, 1915, p. 13; Ford 1951, p. 23; Brown 1982, p. 662, no. 1893; Hawcroft 1988, p. 92
Updated by Compiler
2016-09-26 00:00:00