THOMAS CHRISTOPHER HOFLAND | Castellamare; taken from the new road leading to Sorrento, Italy 

Commissioned by George Wyndham, 4th Earl of Egremont (1786-1845); 

By whose Executors sold, London, Christie's, 26 November 1892, lot 116;

Anonymous sale ('The Property of a Lady'), London, Sotheby's, 6 July 1977, lot 97; 

With Oscar and Peter Johnson Ltd., Lowndes Lodge Gallery, London (according to a label on the reverse);

Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 18 November 1992, lot 74;

Where acquired by the present owner. 

Castellamare (now known as Castellammare di Stabia) is a comune on the southern side of the Gulf of Naples, which became an important centre for shipbuilding in the late 18th century. Hofland was commissioned by Lord Egremont in 1840 to paint a series of views of Italy - having never before travelled on the continent, he spent nine months in the vicinity of Rome and Naples, in preparation for an anticipated series of twelve Italian subjects. In 1842 he exhibited a drawing of the present view at the Royal Academy, no. 948, which presumably served as the basis for the composition of this painting. Illness prevented further progress, however, and he died in January 1843.