JOSEPH MALLORD WILLIAM TURNER, R.A. | A Casino at Posillipo, Italy

This watercolour has survived in fine condition. The pigments remain well balanced. The sheet is also well preserved, although it may have darkened very slightly. The work is not laid down.
"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."

This watercolour dates to the mid 1790s and was almost certainly painted at Dr. Thomas Monro’s ‘academy’ at 8 Adelphi Terrace, London. Monro was a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and an amateur artist. He was also a passionate collector, owning over five thousand works of art, ranging from Old Master paintings to drawings by contemporary artists. As Principal Physician at Bethlehem Hospital for the insane, Monro looked after the watercolourist John Robert Cozens, whose mental health had seriously deteriorated. As a result he had access to many works by Cozens, including the sketchbooks created on his travels in Italy in 1782.  On Friday evenings, during the winter, he invited young artists into his home to copy from this collection. This ‘academy’ played a crucial role in Turner’s development, for not only was he paid half-a-crown and given supper, but it also exposed him to a vast cache of material, which fired his imagination. In addition, it gave him the opportunity to meet regularly with his fellow artists. 

This image corresponds to Cozens’ drawing in volume IV of his sketchbooks, which was executed in pencil with some grey wash, and inscribed: ‘A Cassino built by Cardinal Spinelli when Arch Bishop of Naples – Pausilippe / - Octr. 24’. Although identified as such by Cozens, the view is actually of the structure known as the Villa Donna Anna, after its seventeenth century owner, Anna Carafa, Duchess of Stigliano, who commissioned the architect Cosimo Fanzago to rebuild a fifteenth-century fort in 1640. The building survives, although much altered, and is still recognisable today. Cozens’ inscription confuses the view with that of the Villa del Cardinale, after its early owner Cardinal Spinelli, located far from Posillipo at Torre del Greco. Cozens may have mistakenly labelled the sketch at the time.