Details
CARLO BONAVIA (ACTIVE NAPLES 1751-1788)
The Lanterna del Molo, Naples with Vesuvius beyond; and Naples, with the Castel dell'Ovo
the first with the indistinct remains of a signature and date 'CA[...] IA[...] 17[...]' (lower right, on the boat)
oil on canvas
38 x 4812 in. (96.4 x 123.1 cm.)
a pair
Special notice
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Lot Essay

Though the details of his life remain scarce, a steadily growing body of work has been attributed to Carlo Bonavia. He has been recognised as one of the more talented and distinguished pupils of Claude-Joseph Vernet, producing capricci and coastal landscapes – of shipwrecks, calms, and harbour scenes – very much in the style of his master. His identified views, such as the present pair of canvases, are far fewer in number. The first centres on the lighthouse, the Lanterna del Molo, with Vesuvius seen beyond, whilst the second shows the Castel dell'Ovo bathed in light. The castle sits on the small island of Megaride. According to legend, the poet Virgil left an egg in an iron cage, hanging on a truss in the depths of the crypts underlying the castle. As long as the enchanted egg hung safely, the castle and the entire city of Naples would also be secure. The castle, which still looms over the harbour, built atop the ruins of a Roman villa, was constructed by the Normans in the twelfth century.

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