SERRES, John Thomas (1759-1825).
A British Frigate in the Bay of Naples.
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated "Gio. n i T. Serres /1823" on center boat.
32" x 48" canvas, 36" x 52" framed.

English painter John Thomas Serres was born in London in December 1759. He was the eldest son of Dominic (1722-93), a successful marine painter who was to be one of the founding members of the Royal Academy. John was taught by his father and later they published their Liber Nauticus, a handbook of instructions for marine painters. Serres' marine painting background gave him an opening and he had soon established a recognized and successful painting practice. From 1780 to 1825 he is said to have exhibited more than 100 works at the Royal Academy and the British Institution. He was a fine draughtsman and gained the prestigious appointment of Master of Drawing at the Royal Naval College in Chelsea.

In 1790 and 1791 he toured France and Italy, ending at Naples. At his father's death in 1793 he was made Marine Painter to the King, while in 1800 he became Marine Draughtsman to the Admiralty. The ensuing coastal voyages around Britain, France and Spain, and into the Mediterranean, resulted in an illustrated publication The Little Sea Torch (1801).

This large scale painting depicts a British man of war in a busy Bay of Naples. Serres visited this famous city on at least two occasions, in 1791 and again in 1800-1801. Although its luster had dimmed slightly compared to its glory days on the "grand tour" in the 18th century, it was still a vibrant and sophisticated city with an ever changing political scene. Vesuvius had a string of intermittent eruptions during this period, one of which is depicted in the painting.