The MiC enriches Capodimonte with a Corot masterpiece depicting Naples

An important acquisition for Italy's cultural heritage: the Ministry of Culture has officially purchased Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot's 1828 painting 'The Bay of Naples with Castel dell'Ovo'. The work, valued at €600.000, will be donated to the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte in Naples, further enriching the city's rich artistic heritage.

The purchase was formalized with a decree from the Director General dated June 30, 2026, upon proposal from the Florence Export Office.

The painting dates back to Corot's first stay in Italy, a crucial period in his artistic career, spanning 1825 to 1828. During this trip, the French artist devoted himself to an in-depth study of light and landscape, developing the characteristic "silvery light" that would become the hallmark of his work. His stay in Naples, which lasted approximately seven weeks in the spring of 1828, was also influenced by the evocative descriptions of the writer Stendhal.

The work depicts the Gulf of Naples with the Castel dell'Ovo, blending realistic elements such as boats and rocks with a universal and poetic atmosphere. The painting also depicts glimpses of everyday life, such as fishermen preparing to set sail at dawn, capturing the effects of the morning light on the bay. This painting reflects the central role of Naples in the 19th century as a favored destination of the Grand Tour and a hub of a new artistic sensibility towards landscape.

In those years, the Posillipo School, founded by Anton Sminck van Pitloo, promoted an approach based on direct observation of nature and attention to the effects of light, influencing artists such as Corot. The relationship between Corot and Pitloo fostered artistic exchange between France and Naples, including through innovative techniques such as oil painting on canvas-backed paper.

By adding the painting to the collections of the Museum and Royal Wood of Capodimonte, the MiC emphasizes the dual cultural value of this acquisition: on the one hand, the enrichment of the public heritage with a work that celebrates one of the most iconic symbols of Italian identity, the Castel dell'Ovo and the Gulf of Naples; on the other, it highlights Italy's role in Corot's artistic development and in the 19th-century European art scene.