After Jacob Philippe Hackert, circa 1800


The return of the fleet from Algeria to the Bay of Naples gouache on laid paper56.5 x 84.5cm (22 1/4 x 33 1/4in).
|Hackert's original oil painting showing the return of the fleet to Naples on 1 September 1784 forms part of the large group of his works in the collection of the Reggia di Caserta near Naples. The artist of the present work has changed the disposition of some of the boats and figures but the most significant difference between the original painting and this version is that the profile of Vesuvius has changed: the gouache shows the cone broken off on the right-hand side, the result of a dramatic eruption which occurred in 1794, indicating that this copy must have been made after that date.