Water color; On the shore in Chiaja
Medium
figures
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1931-73-2
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Saverio della Gatta’s 1828 watercolor, *On the shore in Chiaja*, captures a lively Neapolitan waterfront scene with figures strolling, resting, and interacting along the Bay of Naples. The Italian artist, active from the late eighteenth into the early nineteenth century, specialized in such atmospheric views of his native region. Created just a year before his death, the work reflects the growing popularity of watercolor as a medium for recording the light, color, and daily rhythms of Italian coastal life during the Romantic era. Watercolor allowed della Gatta to convey the luminous quality o...