Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix.

watercolour on paper, laid down, depicting the Capuchin monastery, the bay with yachts, the hill-side and part of the town of Amalfi, overall size c.30 x 37cm, small card strip containing initials and date ("F.M.B. 1839"), probably by the composer, mounted separately below the image, mounted, framed and glazed, a little very light spotting

The pencil sketch for this watercolour is illustrated in Margaret Crum, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (Oxford, 1972), plate 17.

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

One of Mendelssohn's most attractive landscapes, based on a pencil sketch now in the Bodleian Library (MS.M.Deneke Mendelssohn d.3, fol.16), dated Amalfi, 31 May 1831. The watercolour differs in many details from the pencil sketch, the latter being transformed from a visual record to a work of art. The Capuchin monastery (centre of the picture), which had been an inn since 1821, is where the composer stayed during his only visit to Amalfi, in 1831. A pencil sketch of the view looking down from the monastery survives, in private hands, from which Mendelssohn made two watercolour versions, one of which, dating from 1836, is also in the Bodleian Library. We gratefully acknowledge the kind assistance given to us by Peter Ward Jones in our cataloguing of this lot.