Capri, Bay of Naples, Antique Steel Engraving after H. Fenn, circa 1878

About this sheet

A view across the sea to the island of Capri, its jagged peaks rising sharply out of a calm bay. The foreground is a steep, wooded mainland slope: two tall, slender pines frame the composition at the left, their crowns spreading across the sky, and at the right a pale limestone cliff drops away. Halfway down the slope stands a ruined, tower-like building among the trees, with a path winding along the hillside. Beyond, the water is dotted with small sails and a steamer trailing a wake, and a headland with a watchtower juts out at the left. The light is soft and even, as on a still afternoon.

Capri, off the tip of the Sorrento peninsula at the southern edge of the Bay of Naples, has drawn painters and travelers since the days of the Roman emperors. The painter is credited as H. Fenn (Harry Fenn, the English-born illustrator who made many of the views for illustrated travel books of the period) and the engraver as A. Krausse. The title "Capri" is engraved in copperplate script, with the imprint Cassell, Petter and Galpin, the London publisher, below.

This is a steel engraving, and the tall upright format allows the engraver to exploit the contrast between the dark, intricately worked pines and the pale distance. The island's outline and the reflections on the sea are rendered with very fine lines.

An elegant choice for anyone who loves the Amalfi coast; it would suit a narrow wall beside a window, in a slim gilt frame.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.