786 - Roskilly, Italian Landscape, watercolour of a rocky coast with fishing boats, 1876

Roskilly, Italian Landscape, watercolour of a rocky coast with fishing boats, 1876 Watercolour on paper, mounted on a backing sheet, signed and dated 1876 lower left. View across a southern rocky bay: a flight of steps cut into the rock leads to a round-arched gateway, before it three figures in traditional dress, one with a yellow headscarf; fishing boats with ochre sails lie in the shallow water, rock needles rise from the sea at the right, behind them the coastline in blue haze. The colouring in light blue, ochre and green tones, the sky with white clouds lightened in transparent washes. Age-appropriate good condition, backing sheet browned and stained. Image 16 x 27.5 cm (HxW), behind glass, framed, frame bumped, overall size 31 x 45 cm (HxW). Small-format watercolours with motifs of the southern Italian coast were a staple of the offering for Grand Tour travellers in the 19th century. In Naples, Sorrento and on Capri entire workshops worked exclusively for the travel market and delivered their sheets in rapid succession and consistent execution. The sheets were acquired as souvenirs and framed in Europe; their light, transparent handling is characteristic of the genre.