This is a fine panoramic image of the Bay of Naples by the celebrated marine artist William Lionel Wyllie.
Wyllie was born in London in 1851. He studied at the Royal Academy Schools (1866-69), where he won the Turner Medal in his final year. He worked as a marine illustrator for the Graphic between 1870 and 1890.
Wyllie was Marine Painter to the Royal Yacht Squadron and the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, and did much work, including posters, for the Orient Company, the White Star Line and the Union Castle Line.
This is quite an unusual etching for Wyllie and shows a vast panoramic view of the Bay of Naples and the Entrance of the Harbour.
There are lots of tiny fishing boats being rowed in the foreground and two large sailing ships with furled sails being pulled into the bay by little tugs - in the background, we can see the smoke coming from the funnel of a steamship and more little steamers are in the foreground. Wyllie would have delighted in recording all these different types of boats and ships in his drypoint - he certainly captures all the activity going on in this busy waterway.
It is one of a series of views he made of Mediterranean scenes.
The print dates to the Etching Revival and was published in 1913.. It is pencil signed, lower left. I think it comes from an edition of 160 impressions that were published and the copper plate was subsequently destroyed.
This is a highly collectable drypoint etching by Wyllie and is in excellent condition. The drypoint is printed on 'JW Whatman' cream wove paper.
It is a fine impression - nice and clean with no foxing or spotting to the image - nice crisp and dark drypoint lines so probably a nice early impression taken from the etching plate. Any white flashes appearing in my photographs have been caused by reflections as I have had to take the images through the glass of the frame.
The image measures 16 x 37.5 cm. The frame measures 28.5 x 48 cm.
I have had the print professionally re-framed and with a new fresh cream-coloured window mount. The frame moulding is a simple black one, as photographed. It is all ready for you to just hang on your wall.
UK Postage will be with the Royal Mail - next day special delivery post - so that it is safe and fully insured in transit. This will be about £10 - and applied to your order at the checkout.