Romantically and early view of a grotto near villa Greven on Posillipo coast was executed in 1820 -1830 by famous German landscape painter TEODORO GUGLIELMO WITTING ( Frankfurt on Main 1793- Napoli 1862 ). For proof of the place see other work by Witting depicted entrance of this grotto from the sea with the villa Greven on the left side ( source: date bank artprice.com).

Teodoro Guglielmo Witting was born in Frankfurt am Main . A landscape painter, he moved to Italy in the 1810. in 1822 he was in Naples: he was a companion of Giacinto Gigante at the school of Antoon Sminck van Pitloo. He later married Flora Vianelli, sister of the painter Achille and Eloisa, Giacinto’s wife. He was therefore strongly linked to the environment and stylistic dispositions of the Posillipo School.

His known landscapes are concentrated between the 1830s and 1850s. His first participation in the Bourbon Exhibition dates back to 1837 with a View of the Red Bridges and a Marina. The two watercolours View of Gragnano and Country View with Bridges date from 1841. Landscape with Stream and Figures was exhibited at the 1859 Bourbon Exhibition and, together with other works, is kept at the Capodimonte Museum and is part of the Astarita donation.

Most of Teodoro Guglielmo Witting’s views are part of the language of the Posillipo School. A diffuse luminosity rests on the wide landscapes and seascapes that are built on real data: the traditional and classical view acquires a more realistic declination produced by the en plein air painting sessions and the attention to naturalistic details. The locations of his works are also the same as those of artists close to him, such as the Gulf of Naples, the Views of Posillipo, the Blue Grotto on Capri or famous spots typical of the grand tour, such as the Arechi Castle in Salerno, which are often enlivened by small figures that give the image a scenic and folkloric value.

In 1862, the German painter participated in the Promotrice in Naples with Moonlight, one of his best known works. After this date, there is no further information on the artist, who probably died in Naples that same year.

Literature: Thieme-Becker " Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler" 1999 ; Comanducci (in Italian).

Inscription: signed lower right, on the back of the stretcher - antique inscription with original artist‘s title in Italian : Grotta a Posillipo.

Technique: oil on paper or board, laid down on canvas. Gold-plated frame of 19th century.

Measurements: unframed w 10 2/3" x h 7 1/4" (27 x 18,3 cm), framed w 16 1/2" x h 13 1/8" (42 x 33,5 cm )

Condition: in very good condition.