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| Bay of Naples, 1762 Claude-Joseph Vernet French, 1714-1789 Oil on canvas 28-1/2 x 38 in. (72.4 x 96.5 cm) The Norton Simon Foundation F.1965.1.070.P © The Norton Simon Foundation On view Signed and dated by the most important marine painter of the eighteenth century, this scene is executed with Vernet’s characteristic delicacy and atmospheric light. The artist spent twenty years in Italy, many of them in Naples, and his views of the bay were popular with English travellers and members of French diplomatic circles. His election in 1743 to Rome’s public art academy, the Accademia di San Luca, indicates the high regard accorded him. When Vernet painted this tranquil scene, Naples was a thriving center of art and commerce, and a great draw to European travelers on the Grand Tour. With picturesque views like this one, Vernet catered to wealthy tourists’ desire for souvenirs of the beguiling port city. Anecdotal elements, such as the passengers entering the canopied boat, add human interest to his compositions. View Provenance |
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