Recently, I visited a client to appraise a small collection of paintings. At the conclusion of my visit as I was about to leave the lady of the house asked my opinion of a painting which she had inherited. The work was framed, under glass and appeared to be egg tempera on paper. It measured approximately 12 x 17.5 inches was unsigned, however the word Camaldoli written in pencil, appeared at the bottom centre in the border. The piece was in good condition except for some minor lifting of the medium.

Artist Unknown, Camaldoli

Pietro Fabris, Vue de l'île d'Ischia, prise du couvent des Camaldoli de Naples

Artist Unknown, probably Vue de l'île d'Ischia, prise du couvent des Camaldoli de Naples

My initial reaction was that this was an extraordinary spiritual and contemplative work of an idealized landscape executed by a competent and skilled practitioner; reminiscent of 18th C. landscape painting and appeared to be of European origin. I told her I would look into it further and report my findings.

My research soon revealed a very similar image, entitled Vue de l'île d'Ischia, prise du couvent des Camaldoli de Naples (View of the island of Ischia taken from the Camaldoli Monastery of Naples) circa 1760 by Pietro Fabris (active 1768-1779), which appeared as a hand-coloured etching, plate XVII, in an 18th C. publication entitled Campi Phlegraei ou Observations sur les Volcans des Deux Siciles, (Campi Phlegraei or Observations on the Volcanos of the Two Sicilies) by William Hamilton, Naples 1776-1779. Pietro Fabris had been employed by Hamilton to paint specific images of areas of volcanic activity for inclusion in his book.

The image depicts a view from the Camaldoli Monastery across the Campi Flegrei (Flegrei Fields) toward the island of Ischia, which appears in the background. Campi Flegrei also known as the Phlegrean Fields (Greek for “burning fields”), is a large caldera area situated in the west area of Naples, Italy.

The Holy Hermitage and Monastery of Camaldoli are situated in a thousand year-old forest of the Tuscan-Romangese Appennines, founded between 1024 and 1025 by St. Romuald. Ischia is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples. It is almost entirely mountainous with the highest peak being volcanic Mt. Epomeo, which was active in Classical times.

Further research yielded an image by an unidentified artist, which depicts an almost identical view in the Camaldoli picture. In my opinion this image and the Camaldoli picture were painted by the same artist and were of the same view, painted from a similar location. Thus the title of the Camaldoli picture appears to be Vue de l'île d'Ischia, prise du couvent des Camaldoli de Naples.

It is interesting to note that the view of the Gulf of Naples and over the Phlaegrean Fields inspired the artistic production of a whole generation of landscape painters from the 19th century, who were known as the “Scuola di Posillipo” (Posillipo School). The Posillipo School included such important painters as Anton Smink Pitloo, Giacinto Gigante and Teodoro Duclère.
Next Issue: The case of Looe Pool and the artist’s great-great grandson.