Fifty-seven watercolours painted by Giacinto Gigante (1806-1876)
and his Royal pupils; the Borbone Princes Francesco, Luigi,
Alfonso, Gaetano, and Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone
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6pm Thursday 19th June
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Thursday 31st July 2014
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An illustrated catalogue for the exhibition is available on request.
CLICCA QUI PER LEGGERE QUESTA PAGINA IN ITALIANO
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Introduction
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The evidence suggests that this group of fifty-seven watercolours was collected into the album in which we acquired them for reasons more sentimental than artistic.
The signatures on those of them that are signed are of five of the Borbone children of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies. The album bears the bookplate of the last sovereign Duke of Parma, husband to their younger sister, Princess Maria Pia di Borbone (1849–1882). The Princess probably considered them as actually being by the brothers and sisters who had signed them. It is probable that she was given them by those siblings and took them into her marriage in 1869 as mementos of their early years. That it was Giacinto Giganti, the accomplished watercolour painter and leader of the School of Posillipo and appointed their painting instructor by the King, who had in fact painted by far the larger part of most of the watercolours was possibly of secondary consideration. The variable quality within the Collection supports this idea; the younger sister treasured whatever remained from a time which by 1861 had been destroyed by revolution.

The emergence of this Album confirms what Dr Luisa Martorelli, the authority on both Gigante and the School of Posillipo, has suspected for many years; that although Gigante was a very good watercolour painter he was not a demanding teacher. He ‘taught’ his royal pupils by painting variants of a particular composition or landscape which they, who were between the ages of only 9 and 19 in 1855, could then ‘complete’. The addition of a figure or two appears to have been sufficient, however, in some the less accomplished details and more crudely handled passages of paint point to a proper amateur enthusiasm. There is visual evidence that Gigante then ‘improved’ the more glaring of the ‘additions’, no doubt before display to the royal papa. Pragmatic as to his responsibilities as a courtier he managed the situation so that both he and the children could be shown to the best advantage. The Czarina of Russia had previously selected him as the painting instructor to accompany her on her 1845 trip to Sicily – an album of those views exists (unseen) in St Petersburg – and it may be that this teaching practice was established on that trip.
Dr Martorelli confirms that the sepia works were produced in the same vein by Achille Vianelli (1803–1894) to whose sister, Eloise, Gigante was married and who was his companion from an early age. Four (nos.31, 32, 36, 39) do not suggest either of these masters but demonstrate the use of lithographs or drawings by British or French artists as
models.
We are extremely grateful to Dr Martorelli, Museo di San Martino, for her help in cataloguing this Collection. Her knowledge and understanding of Gigante and the School of Posillipo is unparalleled. As is typical of youthful and developing ‘artists’ the monograms of the royal students take varying, experimental forms and the distinction between ‘being signed’ and ‘being inscribed’ is sometimes unclear. Where she and we feel unable to attribute authoritatively we have made plausible suggestions, or left the royal pupil unspecified.
This Collection provides the fascinating opportunity to study the working practice of a mid-nineteenth century painting master to a royal court.
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Giacinto Gigante and the School of Posillipo
The ‘School of Posillipo’ describes that group of nineteenth century artists who pioneered the practice of painting en plein air in Naples during the decades following the fall of Napoleon. Against the grain of academic practice this approach established a break with formalized landscape painting which is now recognised as an element of the development of Impressionism. Giacinto Gigante was initially trained as a mere topographer, however, his after-hours studies in the sophisticated, unorthodox Neapolitan studios of two foreign artists – the German, Wilhelm Jacob Huber and the Dutchman, Anton Sminck Pitloo – introduced him to the importance of ‘on the spot’ painting. With them he learnt to paint his beloved surroundings both naturalistically and atmospherically. He was a virtuoso watercolour painter and watercolour was the perfect medium in which to both record and capture a ‘modern’ vision of the Bay of Naples. The Royal patronage of both the Czar of Russia and of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies assisted in establishing Gigante as the acknowledged leader of the School of Posillipo, and the works of that school as characteristically Neapolitan.
Selected Bibliography
Sergio Ortolani, Giacinto Gigante e la pittura di paesaggio a Napoli e in Italia dal ‘600 all’800, a cura di Luisa Martorelli, Franco Di Mauro Editore, 2009.
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Gigante’s Royal Pupils
Children of Ferdinand II of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
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Prince Francesco d’Assisi (1836-1894)
(King Francesco II, ruled 1859–1861)
(Known to his father as ‘Lasa’, ‘Laso’ or ‘Lasso’)
No.1
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Prince Luigi Maria di Borbone, Count of Trani (1838–1886)
Nos. 2 and 3
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Prince Alfonso Maria di Borbone, Count of Caserta (1841–1934)
Nos. 4 – 13
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Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone,
Archduchess Karl Ludwig of Austria (1843-1871)
(Known to her father as ‘Ciolla’)
Nos. 14 – 26
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Prince Gaetano Maria Federico di Borbone,
Count of Girgenti (1846–1871)
Nos. 28 – 36
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Prince Francesco d’Assisi (1836-1894)
(King Francesco II, ruled 1859–1861)
(Known to his father as ‘Lasa’, ‘Laso’ or ‘Lasso’)

The only son and heir of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (1810-1859) by his first wife, Maria Christina of Savoy (1812-1836), Francesco II was the last Borbone King of Two Sicilies. He reigned for only two years (1859-1861) before he was deposed.
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1. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Prince Francesco d’Assisi di Borbone. Possibly the Belvedere at Sorrento. Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 185x250mm. Signed / inscribed with his familial nickname ‘Lasa’ or ‘Laso’. Cf: ‘Study of baskets and an amphora’, Ferrara Dentice Collection, Museo di San Martino (Inv.no.23107) also signed / inscribed ‘Lasso’. The only other work signed / inscribed with a familial nickname is by Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone (Cf.no.24). ●
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Prince Luigi Maria di Borbone (1838-1886), Count of Trani

The second son of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (1810-1859) and his second wife, Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria (1816-1867), Prince Luigi Maria married Matilda of Bavaria (1843-1925) in 1861.
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2. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Prince Luigi Maria di Borbone. Roadside shrine (Cf.no.51). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. Paper watermarked: Whatman Turkey Mill. 333x250mm. Signed and dated ‘L.M.B. / 13 giugno 1853’. ●
3. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Prince Luigi Maria di Borbone. Cloisters at Amalfi. Pencil and watercolour. 307x212mm. Signed, inscribed and dated ‘L.M.B. 1855 / Amalfi 1855’. £875
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Prince Alfonso Maria di Borbone (1841-1934), Count of Caserta
The third son of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (1810-1859) and his second wife, Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria (1816-1867), Prince Alfonso Maria married Princess Maria Antonietta di Borbone (1851-1938).
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4. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Prince Alfonso Maria di Borbone. Ischia, the caldera just before the entrance to the sea was cut. The Royal Palace to the right, with a rowing barge (Cf.nos.29, 41). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 225x333mm. Signed and dated ‘A.B. 1853’. Ferdinand II ordered the channel to be cut in July 1853. An identical view, but with two additional figures to the left, without the rowing barge, signed and dated 'Giacinto Gigante, 1853' appeared at Porro & C. Milano. £2000
5. Achille Vianelli, with additions by Prince Alfonso Maria di Borbone. Neapolitan coastal village; possibly Capri with Monte Solaro. Pencil, sepia washes and gouache. 265x350mm. Signed ‘A. M. Borbone’. £675
6. Achille Vianelli, with additions by Prince Alfonso Maria di Borbone. Baskets, barrels and bench. (Cf.no.42). Pencil and sepia washes. Paper water marked: Whatman Turkey Mill 1849. 237x338mm. Signed with initials and dated: ‘A.M.B. 25 mag.1853’. ●
7. Achille Vianelli, with additions by Prince Alfonso Maria di Borbone. Interior of a forge (Cf.no.35). Pencil and sepia washes. 215x280mm. Signed and dated, ‘A.M.B. 1852’. Inscribed ‘Alfonso’ verso. Vianelli’s original version of this work ‘Interno di Fucina’, traditionally believed to have been painted when he was 13 in 1816, is in the Ferrara Dentice Collection, Museo di San Martino (Inv.no.19555). £675
8. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Prince Alfonso Maria di Borbone. Passage and street with figures (Cf.no.47). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 257x187mm. Signed ‘A.M.B.’. Inscribed ‘Alfonso’ verso. Another version of this work by Giacinto Gigante, is in the Ferrara Dentice Collection, Museo di San Martino (Inv.no.23599). ●
9. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Prince Alfonso Maria di Borbone. Baskets and amphora (Cf.nos.45, 46). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 255x210mm. Inscribed ‘Alfonso’ verso. Cf. ‘Still life with amphora’, Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Prince Francesco d’Assisi di Borbone, signed / inscribed ‘Lasso’, Ferrara Dentice Collection, Museo di San Martino (Inv.no.23107). Similar studies by Gigante - 'Still life with amphora', watercolour (Inv.no.GDS 2125) and 'Still life with amphora', oil on card, signed and dated '16 Ottobre 1844' (Inv.no.GDS 2133) - are in the Astarita Collection, Museo di Capodimonte. £675
10. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Prince Alfonso Maria di Borbone. The Capuchin Monastery at Amalfi from the beach. (Cf.nos.49, 50). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 192x275mm. Inscribed ‘Alfonso’ verso. ●
11. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Prince Alfonso Maria di Borbone. Fishing boats and steamship. Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 333x230mm. Signed ‘A.B.’. Inscribed ‘Alfonso’ verso. ●
12. Achille Vianelli, with additions by Prince Alfonso Maria di Borbone. The ambulatory leading to the Amphitheatre at Pozzuoli. Pencil and sepia washes. Paper watermarked: Whatman Turkey Mill 1844. 180x240mm. Dated ‘19 Ot.bre 1852’. Inscribed ‘Alfonso’ verso. £675
13. Achille Vianelli, with additions by Prince Alfonso Maria di Borbone. Shrine in the walls of a Neapolitan village. Pencil and sepia washes. 220x202mm. Signed and dated ‘A.M.B. 30 ottobre 1854’. £675
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Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone (1843-1871)
Archduchess Karl Ludwig of Austria
The fourth daughter of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (1810-1859) and his second wife, Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria (1816-1867), in 1862 Princess Maria Annunziata married Karl Ludwig Archduke of Austria (1833-1896), the brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I (1830-1916). Her first son was Franz Ferdinand (1863 – assassinated Sarajevo 28th June 1914).
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14. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone. The House of Tasso, Sorrento. Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 305x259mm. Signed and dated ‘M.A.B. 53’. ●
15. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone. Houses in the Costiera of the Sorrentine Peninsula. Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 278x215mm. Signed and dated 'M.A.B. 1853’. Acquired by the Museo di San Martino, Naples'.
16. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone. A Nun. Pencil and watercolour. 220x167mm. Signed ‘M.A.B.’. £350
17. Achille Vianelli, with additions by Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone. Courtyard at Pompeii. Pencil and sepia washes. 175x132mm. Signed ‘M.A.B.’. ●
18. Achille Vianelli, with additions by Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone. Tower and town walls, possibly above Sorrento. Pencil and sepia washes. 207x270mm. Signed ‘M.A.B.’. ●
19. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone. The Port at Gaeta (Cf.no.41). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. Paper watermarked: Whatman Turkey Mill. 258x387mm. Signed ‘M.B.’. The Princess and Gigante were both in Gaeta in 1857 (Cf.no.21 and Giactinto Gigante 'The Mountains of Gaeta from the Sea', seen from the Palazzo del Vio, Gaeta, signed, inscribed and dated 'July 1857', Ferrara Dentice Collection, Museo di San Martino [Inv.no.23594]). ●
20. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone. Woman praying at vaulted shrine in the amphitheatre of Pozzuoli. (Cf.no.22). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 210x172mm. Signed ‘M.A.B.’. £875
21. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone. The tepidarium, Pompeii. Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 125x182mm. Signed or inscribed and dated, possibly in Giacinto Gigante’s hand, ‘M.A.B. Gaeta, 1857’. The Princess and Gigante were both in Gaeta in 1857 (Cf.no.21 and Giactinto Gigante 'The Mountains of Gaeta from the Sea', seen from the Palazzo del Vio, Gaeta, signed, inscribed and dated 'July 1857', Ferrara Dentice Collection, Museo di San Martino [Inv.no.23594]. Gigante's inscription thanks his host and friend Giovanni di Vio for his archaeological knowledge). ●
22. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone.Woman praying at a vaulted shrine in the amphitheatre of Pozzuoli (Cf.no.20). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 210x175mm. Signed ‘M.A.B.’. Acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum
23. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone. Women beneath the Roman aquaduct at Maddaloni. (Cf.no.40). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 230x162mm. Signed ‘M.A.B.’. £875
24. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Princess Maria Annuzuata di Borbone. Ruins of the church of Santa Maria dell’Olearia, Maiori. Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 186x250mm. Signed / inscribed with her familial nickname ‘Ciolla’. The only other work in this collection signe dwith a familial nickname is that by Prince Francesco d'Assisi di Borbone (Cf.no.1). £3,000
25. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone. Chapel by the sea. Pencil, watercolour and gouache. Oval 137x202mm. Signed ‘M.A.B.’. £350
26. GiacintoGigante, with additions by Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone. Gleaners resting. Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 180x233mm. Signed and dated ‘M.A.B. 54’. ●
27. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil. Possibly Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone. Vesuvius from Sorrento. Pencil and watercolour. 123x172mm. Signed with a monogram. ●
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Gaetano Maria Federico di Borbone (1846-1871) Count of Girgenti
The seventh child of Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (1810-1859) and his second wife, Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria (1816-1867), Prince Gaetano Maria married Isabella, Princess of Asturias (1851-1931) twice recognized as the heir presumptive to the Spanish throne, in 1868.
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28. Achille Vianelli, with additions by Prince Gaetano Maria Federico di Borbone. Castel dell’Ovo. Pencil and sepia washes. 162x226mm. Signed ‘G.M.B.’. £450
29. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Prince Gaetano Maria Federico di Borbone. Rowing barge with the Borbone flag (Cf.nos.4, 41) approaching a large Neopolitan Coast house. Paper watermarked: Whatman Turkey Mill 1844. 175x227mm. Signed 'G.M.B.’ or inscribed ‘G.M.B.’ by Giacinto Gigante. ●
30. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Prince Gaetano Maria Federico di Borbone. Church and fountain; possibly the garden of a Royal Residence. Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 208x270mm. Signed ‘G.M.B.’. £875
31. Prince Gaetano Maria Federico di Borbone, with additions by an instructor. Study of plants by a ditch. Pencil, sepia washes and gouache. Paper watermarked: Canson. 227x293mm. Signed and dated ‘G.M.B. 27Gi.ne 1856’. This work may be taken from a drawing or lithograph by a British of French artist. Verso: study of two heads (Cf.no.45). Pencil. £350
32. Prince Gaetano Maria Federico di Borbone, with additions by an instructor. Study of plants by a stream, with ducks. Pencil, sepia washes and gouache. 237x297mm. Signed and dated ‘G.M.B. 14 Gi.ne 1856’. This work may be based on a drawing or lithograph by a British of French artist. £350
33. Achille Vianelli, with additions by Prince Gaetano Maria Federico di Borbone. Pompeii. Pencil and sepia washes. 182x268mm. Signed and dated ‘G.M.B. 13 Maggio 1854’. £475
34. Achille Vianelli, with additions by Prince Gaetano Maria Federico di Borbone. A Pompeian view. Pencil and sepia washes. 217x290mm. Inscribed (possibly by Gigante) ‘3Apr.le 1854. G.M.B.’. ●
35. Achille Vianelli, with additions by Prince Gaetano Maria Federico di Borbone. Interior of a forge (Cf.no.7). Pencil and sepia washes. 215x280mm. Signed / inscribed ‘G.M.B. 15Ottobr. 1854’. Vianelli’s original version of this work, ‘Interno di fucina’, traditionally believed to have been painted when he was 13 in 1816, is in the Ferrara Dentice Collection, Museo di San Martino (Inv.no.19555). Acquired by the British Museum
36. Prince Gaetano Maria Federico di Borbone, with additions by an instructor. A picturesque northern French cottage. Pencil, sepia washes and gouache. 325x230mm. Signed and dated ‘G.M.B 9 Agosto 1854’. This work may be based on a drawing or lithograph by a British of French artist. £350
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Works signed with an indistinct monogram or unsigned / uninscribed
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37. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil. The House of Castor and Pollux, Pompeii, with an official guide (Cf.no. 38). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 267x192mm. Another version of this work by Gigante, ‘La Casa di Castore e Polluce, Pompeii’ is in the Collection Correale di Terranova, Sorrento and is illustrated in Le Case ed i Monumenti di Pompeii, F and F Nicolini, Naples 1854, Vol.I, Plate XI. £2,000
38. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil. The House of Castor and Pollux, Pompeii, with an official guide (Cf.no.37). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 260x187mm. Another version of this work by Gigante, ‘La Casa di Castore e Polluce, Pompeii’ is in the Collection Correale di Terranova, Sorrento and is illustrated in Le Case ed i Monumenti di Pompeii, F. and F. Nicolini, Naples 1854, Vol I, Plate XI. ●
40. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil, possibly Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone. Women beneath the Roman aquaduct at Maddaloni (Cf.no.23). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. Paper watermarked: Whatman TurkeyMill. 225x160mm. £675
41. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil. Possibly Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone. Gaeta; a steam frigate, possibly the royal steamship ‘Delfino’ or ‘Archimede’ flying the Borbone flag (Cf.no.4). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 225x333mm. Possibly painted from the Palazzo del Vio, Gaeta (Cf.no.19 and Giactinto Gigante 'The Mountains of Gaeta from the Sea', seen from the Palazzo del Vio, Gaeta, signed, inscribed and dated 'July 1857', Ferrara Dentice Collection, Museo di San Martino [Inv.no.23594]). £2,500
42. A Borbone pupil of Giacinto Gigante, but copied from a work by Achille Vianelli. Baskets, barrels and bench (Cf.no.6). Pencil and sepia washes. 225x318mm. £375
43. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil. Shepherds with Vesuvius in the distance (Cf.no.44). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 175x240mm. £475
44. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil. Shepherds with Vesuvius in the distance (Cf.no.43). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 172x242mm.
45. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil. Baskets and amphora, with bird (Cf.nos.9, 46). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 262x213mm. Verso: Head in profile. (Cf.no.31 by Prince Gaetano Maria Federico di Borbone) Pencil. Cf. ‘Still life with amphora’, Giacinto Gigante, with additions by Prince Francesco d’Assisi di Borbone, signed / inscribed ‘Lasso’, Ferrara Dentice Collection, Museo di San Martino (Inv.no.23107). Similar studies by Gigante - 'Still life with amphora', watercolour (Inv.no.GDS 2125) and 'Still life with amphora', oil on card, signed and dated '16 Ottobre 1844' (Inv.no.GDS 2133) - are in the Astarita Collection, Museo di Capodimonte. £675
46. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil. Baskets and amphora, with bird (Cf.nos.9, 45). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 260x205mm. Cf. ‘Still life with amphora’, Giacinto Gigante with additions by Prince Francesco d’Assisi di Borbone, signed / inscribed ‘Lasso’, Ferrara Dentice Collection, Museo di San Martino (Inv.no.23107). Similar studies by Gigante - 'Still life with amphora', watercolour (Inv.no.GDS 2125) and 'Still life with amphora', oil on card, signed and dated '16 Ottobre 1844' (Inv.no.GDS 2133) - are in the Astarita Collection, Museo di Capodimonte.
47. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil. Possibly Prince Alfonso Maria di Borbone. Passage and street with figures (Cf.no.8). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. Paper watermarked: Whatman. 240x173mm. Dated ‘8. 9bre. 53’. Another version by Gigante of this work is in the Ferrara Dentice Collection, Museo di San Martino (Inv.no.23559).
48. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil. Amphorae in a ruin. Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 260x195mm. £675
49. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil. The Capuchin Monastery at Amalfi from the beach. (Cf.nos.10, 50). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 190x245mm. £750
50. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil. The Capuchin Monastery at Amalfi from the beach. (Cf.nos.10, 49). Pencil and watercolour. 202x253mm. £750
51. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil. Roadside shrine. (Cf.no.2). Pencil, watercolour and gouache. Oval 245x302mm. Inscribed ‘Ave M(aria), 30 maggio 1853’. £750
52. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil. Possibly Princess Maria Annunziata di Borbone. Chapel by Lake Lucrino. Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 210x285mm. £750
53. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil. Neapolitan house. Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 287x213mm. £750
54. Achille Vianelli, with additions by a Borbone pupil. Pompeii. Pencil and sepia washes. 252x200mm. £575
55. Achille Vianelli, with additions by a Borbone pupil. Possibly a view from Posillipo, with Vesuvius in the distance. Pencil and sepia washes. 187x260mm. £575
56. Achille Vianelli, with additions by a Borbone pupil. Port flying the Borbone flag with Vesuvius to the south. Pencil, sepia washes and gouache. 257x390mm. £575
57. Giacinto Gigante, with additions by a Borbone pupil. Study of an agave. Pencil, watercolour and gouache. 230x337mm. Cf: ‘Study of an agave’, Giacinto Gigante, oil on paper, signed and dated, Ferrara Dentice Collection, Museo di San Martino. £775