William Henry Bartlett (1809-1854) - The Fort and Bay of Baiae, Naples

Bartlett's first trip to Italy came in 1834 and he spent several months here before extending his journey to the Holy Land. He made four further trips to the Middle East and most likely went via Italy on each voyage. It is difficult to date exactly when this sepia drawing was made but we know the earliest it could have been painted was 1834. It was later engraved for one of Bartlett's many publication commissions (see photographs) c.1840. These drawings rarely come on the market with forty-three being discovered in the early 1980s in Princeton University's library. [1] Bartlett is particularly remembered  for his pictures of North America, visiting the continent on four occasions between 1836 and 1852.
 
Baiae was an ancient Roman port town on the northwest shore of the Bay of Naples. Mount Vesuvius can be seen in the background of the picture gently billowing smoke. The remains of the Roman period are visible through the ruins Bartlett has depicted of a fort. There are furthermore well preserved remains of Temples dedicated to Diana, Mercury and Venus in Baiae itself. The town was also once seen as more important than Capri, Pompeii, and Herculaneum to wealthy Romans.
 
Medium: sepia watercolour on paper, 11.3 x 18.3 cm, mounted.
 
Provenance: Collection of Bill Thomson (owner of Albany Gallery).
 
References:
 
[1] Nancy Finlay, 'Voyage to the East: William Henry Bartlett's Drawings', The Princeton University Library Chronicle , WINTER 1983, Vol. 44, No. 2 (WINTER 1983), pp. 135-152.