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Notes
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A highly detailed panoramic view of the Arsenal, or dockyard, at Naples. The expanse of water in the basin lies horizontally across the painting, surrounded by quays, jetties and the buildings of the waterfront. A Genoese merchantman is shown being careened, lying at an angle to the right of centre and undergoing repair to the stern frame. Careening took place to repair leaking seams, replace rotten planking, or treat the underwater hull. It usually involved fire to burn off old pitch, weed or shellfish, a process known as breaming. No trace of careening tackle is visible. An arched gateway lies to the left of the ship and the Castello Nuovo rises up on the right. The artist has drawn attention to the fortifications of the Arsenal by a salute fired from the outer gate to a galley entering from the bay on the right, where the town and foothills are visible.
The artist has combined Dutch genre with an innovative approach to depicting topography. He has shown variously occupied figures in the foreground. Equipment associated with shipbuilding, coils of rope, piles of wood, tools, barrels, small boats, blocks of wood, piles of gravel, and carts line the jetty. Despite this, the painting is idealised, indicated by the lack of small shipping and movement on the water, and was created in a studio.
The artist was Dutch but moved to Italy and remained there for the rest of his life. His innovative, modernistic approach to topographical subjects made him one of the principal painters of views in Italy. He offered a fresh and contemporary insight into the scenes he painted, combining detailed observation with panoramic perspective and was innovative because he observed scenes of everyday life, moving away from a concentration on ruined architecture, ancient monuments and religious sites.
Title
The Darsena delle Galere and Castello Nuovo at Naples
Date
1703
Medium
oil on panel
Measurements
H 75.5 x W 141 cm
Accession number
BHC1900
Work type
Painting
National Maritime Museum
Romney Road, Greenwich, London, Greater London SE10 9NF England
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The Darsena delle Galere and Castello Nuovo at Naples National Maritime Museum -
Posillipo with the Palazzo Donn'Anna, Naples, Italy Compton Verney -
The Port of Naples: ‘La Darsena delle Galere’ National Trust, Kedleston Hall and Eastern Museum -
The Grotto at Pozzuoli, Italy, with Virgil's Tomb Compton Verney -
Architectural Subject Guildhall Art Gallery -
View up the Tiber from the Via Marmorata, Rome National Trust, Mompesson House -
Foro Romana a sia Campo Vaccino Perth Art Gallery (managed by Culture Perth and Kinross) - 3 more