6078 - Nerly, Friedrich

Nerly, Friedrich On the Beach at Nettuno. Oil on paper, mounted on board. 31.8 x 54.4 cm. Signed “Nerly” lower right; on the reverse, old collector’s annotations in Danish, including information on the provenance and exhibition of the painting at the Hamburger Kunsthalle: “M. Grossel’s estate, it hung at the Kunsthalle in Hamburg,” as well as a printed number “5476.” (1830). It is well known that Friedrich Nerly’s artistic genius was recognized and nurtured by Carl Friedrich Rumohr. It was Rumohr who took the young artist to Italy in 1828. Nerly would go on to remain in Italy as one of the most renowned German painters, famous to this day primarily for his Venetian views. Our work dates from the beginning of this career, when Nerly was still in the process of establishing himself in Rome. He had arrived there in January 1829 and, thanks to his exceptionally sociable nature and his mentor’s excellent network, had quickly made connections with the German-Nordic artistic community. During his first summers in Italy, Nerly explored the remote coastal towns between the mouth of the Tiber and Monte Circeo all the way to Terracina in search of fresh subjects. Thus, in 1830, accompanied by August Hopfgarten, he traveled to Nettuno. Hardly any strangers ventured that far at the time, as the little village lay far off the beaten tourist path and beyond the dreaded Pontine Marshes. Moreover, the long sandy beach with its gentle dunes likely did not fit the common image of the celebrated southern shores. Yet it was precisely the sand and the dunes that seem to have inspired Nerly to capture this view. Perhaps they evoked memories of the coasts of his homeland. The cool tones of the landscape, painted with the flowing lines characteristic of his early nature studies, certainly still retain a hint of the North. A wash drawing from this stay is preserved in the Graphic Arts Collection of the Angermuseum in Erfurt, depicting the same beach view looking south (see *Natur & Antike*. The Romantic Friedrich Nerly in Rome, exhibition catalog, Bremen 2026, p. 165, cat. 99). It differs from our work only in the addition of figurative elements and the accentuation of the ancient ruins in the middle ground. This rediscovered plein air study represents a significant addition to the history of the artistic exploration of this little-visited location and, at the same time, expands our knowledge of Nerly’s working methods and artistic development during his early years in Rome. Provenance: Martin Grosell Collection, Copenhagen (see inscription on the reverse). Private collection, Copenhagen. - Please request condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.