Lot 1182 Dα

Roman and Neapolitan landscapes are characteristic of Johann Georg Gmelin's oeuvre. The painter was born in Rome as the son of the draughtsman and engraver Wilhelm Friedrich Gmelin and travelled to Wiesbaden and Karlsruhe for his initial training when he was 14 years old. Upon his return to Rome, his vedutas depicting the Eternal City became highly popular, especially among travellers to the city, and his patrons included the Russian Tsar. The present work depicts a classical image of the Bay of Salerno with a view of Amalfi and the vague outline of the smouldering Mount Vesuvius in the distance on the left. Gmelin chose a similar view for a painting sold at Lempertz on 18th November 2006 under lot 1378.