The Grotto of Posillipo at Naples

• La Grotta di Posillipo near Naples
• The Grotto of Posillipo at Naples

SK-A-4705

signature and date: ‘A.S. Pitloo Depinto dal vero 1826’

The grotto of Posillipo at Naples is a natural tunnel, 700 metres long and six metres high. The cave was a regular attraction for artists and tourists in Italy. Pitloo represented the passage as a narrow opening that swallows up the light. Closer inspection reveals a faint gleam at the far end of the tunnel. The dark cave contrasts dramatically with the sun-drenched rock wall.

painter: Antonie Sminck Pitloo, Naples

1826

olieverf op doek

height 52 cm x width 39.3 cm

purchase 1978

Public domain

…; anonymous sale, Amsterdam (Sotheby´s Mak van Waay), 7 November 1977, no. 232, fl. 15,000, to the museum

Please note that this provenance was formulated with a special focus on provenance research for the years 1933-45 and could therefore be incomplete. There may be more (mostly earlier) provenance information known in the museum. In case this item has an uncertain or incomplete provenance for the years 1933-45, the Rijksmuseum welcomes information and assistance in the investigation and clarification of the provenance of all works during that era.

To refer to this object, please use the following persistent URL:

https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200107989