Pair 18th or 19th Century Italian Grand Tour Gouaches of Vesuvius, Bay of Naples

Pair 18th or 19th Century Italian Grand Tour Gouaches of Vesuvius, Bay of Naples

Pair of 18th or 19th century Neapolitan gouaches of Virgil's Tomb, one with a view of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples. This is a wonderful high quality pair of a rare subject. At first I thought it is the front and reverse of Virgil Tomb, but each gouache is inscribed in pencil on the reverse "La Tomba di Virgilio" and "Sepolero di Campana" , which is a bit of a mystery.

One gouache has a large watermark, a Fleur-de-lis within a shield topped by a crown, likely a royal coat of arms. One is inscribed and signed, though I am unable to decipher. It could possibly be signed by Xavier della Gatta, active in Naples 1777-1829. The frames they came in were damaged beyond repair, I have had them re-matted.

Great examples of Italian Grand Tour gouaches.

21 by 16 matted    15 by 10 site

The tomb of Publius Vergilius Maro (70 BC – 19 BC), known to most simply as Virgil, the 1st century BC Roman poet who left the world the Ecologues, the Georgics and the Aenid and who is considered by some as one of the most important writers of all time.

That this Augustan era tomb doesn’t actually hold Virgil’s remains seems completely immaterial. That he wasn’t born here, totally inconsequential. The world renowned writer is a hometown hero, one of the guardians of the city.

And Virgil’s affection for Naples, his Partenope, was the same. It was his dying wish to be buried in the place he dearly loved. "Mantua me genuit, Calabri rapuere, tenet nunc Parthenope; cecini pascua, rura, duces."

"Mantua gave me birth; Calabria took me away; and now Parthenope holds me: I sang of pastures, farms, leaders." Virgil’s Epitaph, 1st Century BCE

A place of immense natural beauty, a quiet spot at the foot of Posillipo hill overlooking Vesuvius and the Bay.

"…we climbed the cliff and stood upon the hill which will be ever memorial as the home of the poet Virgil. Here, with perhaps the loveliest view on earth outspread before him, he composed his two great works, the “Georgics” and “AEneid,” whose glory has outlived by many centuries the Roman Empire itself. The word Posillipo means “freedom from sorrow” and, apparently, the poet found the situation worthy of its name; for when he died at Brindisi, just nineteen years before the birth of Christ, he begged the Emperor Augustus, with whom he was then traveling, to see that his remains were brought back and buried on this hill." John L. Stoddard, John Lawson Stoddard (April 24, 1850 – June 5, 1931)

For over 2000 years, Virgil’s tomb has been a place of pilgrimage. A tradition that would come and go in fits and starts throughout the ages. In the first century AD it was said that the Roman poet Silius Italicus (c. 28 – 103 AD) owned Virgil’s tomb and dedicated himself to preserving the poet’s memory.

Not to be confused with the more well known Virgilian Park, this area clinging to the foot of the tuffaceous ridge of Posillipo is strangely little known, even by the Neapolitans. Yet, in the few hundred square meters of the small park of Piedigrotta, there is a lot of history.

First of all, the mausoleum-tomb of Virgil, to whom we owe the name, should be mentioned: the great poet lived for a long time in Naples, and in medieval times the population considered him the patron saint of the city, attributing to him magical powers and, among other things, the legend of the egg that gives its name to the Castel dell'Ovo. His tomb was therefore a real place of worship, even if there is no certainty that it is the poet's tomb. The mausoleum is located in an elevated position, at the mouth of the Neapolitan Crypt (which will be discussed later), and is called a columbarium, due to the numerous niches dug inside. A narrow staircase in the tuff allows you to reach it, despite the impervious position.

One gouache has three pin holes in the sky, otherwise these are in remarkable condition, with the detail and vibrant colors well preserved.