Gaspar Adriaensz van Wittel

View of the District of Chiaia

Gaspar Adriaensz van Wittel

Gaspar van Wittel was born in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, in 1653. Considered one of the leading lights of 18th-century veduta painting, van Wittel studied in the workshop of Mathias Withoos, a Dutch artist specialised in landscapes and still life. In 1674 van Wittel moved to Rome, and in 1699 he was invited to Naples by Viceroy don Luis de la Cerda, Duke of Medinaceli, to paint a series of views which were to stand testimony to the impressive changes to the cityscape that the Viceroy was planning to make. In 1702 the painter returned to Rome where he painted many of his extremely famous Neapolitan views based on the sketches and drawings he had made during his previous stay in Naples.

Gaspar Adriaensz van Wittel

Gaspar van Wittel was born in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, in 1653. Considered one of the leading lights of 18th-century veduta painting, van Wittel studied in the workshop of Mathias Withoos, a Dutch artist specialised in landscapes and still life. In 1674 van Wittel moved to Rome, and in 1699 he was invited to Naples by Viceroy don Luis de la Cerda, Duke of Medinaceli, to paint a series of views which were to stand testimony to the impressive changes to the cityscape that the Viceroy was planning to make. In 1702 the painter returned to Rome where he painted many of his extremely famous Neapolitan views based on the sketches and drawings he had made during his previous stay in Naples.

Van Wittel’s works faithfully reproduce, in detail, the places he visited. The artist, following lengthy observation, did sketches based on what he saw, and then worked on these sketches once he was back in the workshop to obtain precise, large-scale, mostly pencil drawings, which were then used above all to produce oil paintings in which the amazing precision of North-European art combined with the bright, lively colours characteristic of Mediterranean countries. The painter generally chose a horizontal perspective for his views: this enabled him to utilise wide fields of view and to depict vast portions of the landscape, as in the case of the View of the District of Chiaia from Pizzofalcone. It is likely that the painter employed optical instruments to help him depict what he saw.

Date: 1700 - 1710
Medium: oil on canvas

Introduction

The View of the District of Chiaia from Pizzofalcone is the oldest depiction of this district,
one of the most important among those that developed just outside of the city walls.

The work is at Gallerie d'Italia - Napoli.

The View of the District of Chiaia from Pizzofalcone is the oldest depiction of this district,
one of the most important among those that developed just outside of the city walls.

The work is at Gallerie d'Italia - Napoli.

In the central foreground, you can see the rear side of the Church of Santa Maria a Cappella Nuova, which was subsequently demolished following the severe damage it suffered during the 1805 earthquake.

Moving to the right, you can see the Church of Santa Caterina next to the Chiaia gate, demolished in 1783, and Palazzo Cellamare built in the early 16th century right next to the viceregal walls on the orders of Giovanni Vincenzo Carafa, and subsequently extended in 1722 by Antonio Giudice, Prince of Cellamare.

Van Wittel painted Palazzo Cellamare in all its grandeur, complete with its famous gardens.

In the top right-hand corner of the painting, you will find the Vomero Hill overlooking the District of Chiaia, with the Certosa di San Martino (the Charterhouse of St. Martin) and Sant’Elmo Castle. At the foot of the hill, it is possible to see the churches and convents of Santa Maria Apparente and San Nicola da Tolentino, next to the large monastic complex of Suor Orsola Benincasa.

The Chiaia waterfront is depicted on the far left of the painting: this area for strolling bordered by the sea is tree-lined and is embellished by thirteen fountains commissioned by the Viceroy, the Duke of Medinaceli, in 1697. The appearance of the waterfront was modified in 1778-1780 by King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon with the construction of the Real Passeggio, a garden designed by Carlo Vanvitelli, the grandson of Gaspar van Wittel and son of Luigi Vanvitelli.