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75 - Gaspard van WITTEL (Amersfoort, 1652 - Rome, 1736) View of t…
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Estimate €80,000 - €120,000
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Description
Gaspard van WITTEL (Amersfoort, 1652 - Rome, 1736) View of the Darsena des galres Copper 25.5 x 54.5 cm Signed and dated lower right on a fountain GASPARO VAN WITEL 1712 Born in Amersfoort, some forty kilometres from Utrecht, a predominantly Catholic town, Garpard van Wittel went to Rome in 1674. He never left Italy again. His arrival in Naples was mentioned by Pascoli in 1699. He arrived at the invitation of the viceroy Don Luis de la Cerda, Duke of Medinacelli. The latter had been appointed vice-king in 1695, but he had known van Wittel in Rome, where he had stayed as ambassador of the King of Spain to Pope Innocent XII. Van Wittel spent a great deal of time in the Parthenopean city, and his favourite subject was the Darsena. The Darsena of the galleys was inaugurated on 25 July 1658 at the request of the viceroy Don Pedro of Aragon. It was a new basin measuring 95 x 120 metres, 5 metres deep and with an 11-metre mouth, designed to serve as a dock for all galleys and small sailing ships. This is one of the designs that most interested van Wittel, both for its topographical breadth and for its many picturesque figures and boats. The first version dates from 1699 (canvas, 55 x 108 cm - private collection (see cat.expo Gaspare Vanvitelli e le origini del vedutismo, Rome and Venice, 2003, nř 66, reproduced). The latest version is from 1722, (Holkham Hall, Earl of Leicester, dated 1722 (see G. Briganti, Gaspar van Wittel, Milan, 1996, nř 359, reproduced). Between these two dates, van Wittel treated the subject more than ten times on canvas and cardboard. Another version is known on copper (45 x 98 cm), probably from 1701, in a London collection (G. Briganti, op cit supra, nř 246, reproduced). The layout varies slightly from one version to another. The most recognisable features are the tower of Saint Vincent, the quay of the Royal Palace with the Cassina spagnola or butler's palace, the Royal Palace and, to the right, Castelnuovo. It is likely that van Wittel made numerous drawings of this motif, which he used throughout his career. In 1712, the year of our painting, van Wittel was mainly in Rome, where he was busy with the feast of San Luca. With its beautiful luminosity and the range of picturesque details (the little monks near the sedan chair, the merchants near the boats on the left and the unicum that is the Venetian ship on the left of the composition), our painting is one of the best versions of the subject.
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About the sale Antique Paintings, Furniture and Works of Art from the 17th to the 19th century
Auction location
Auction time 06/24/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits:
SEBERT - Marc TOMASI
See original version (French)
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