Near Santa Maria de' Monti, Naples

Thomas Jones

May 10, 1781 · Graphite, brush and gray wash and ink · Drawings and Prints

One of the most original eighteenth-century British landscapists, Jones lived in Italy from 1776 to 1783. While in Naples, he explored vistas along a remote road leading eastward toward the monastery of Santa Maria dei Monti and described the path in his diary as a "hollow Way [presenting] . . . the most beautiful Series of picturesque Objects . . . the Scenery that Salvator Rosa formed himself upon." This drawing, dated May 10, is one of about a dozen surviving studies made during repeated visits to the site between March and June 1781. Jones used chiaroscuro ink washes to describe the shaded rocky walls, overgrown with shrubbery, and to convey his moody response to the scene. Such studies were foundational to the artist’s developed compositions.

Artist

Thomas Jones

Date

May 10, 1781

Medium

Graphite, brush and gray wash and ink

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, Robert Gordon Gift, 2008