Castel Nuovo en de haven van Napels 1648 - 1717

Curator: Before us is “Castel Nuovo en de haven van Napels,” or Castel Nuovo and the harbour of Naples. The artwork, held here at the Rijksmuseum, is attributed to Israel Silvestre and estimated to have been created sometime between 1648 and 1717. It's an etching and watercolor on paper. Editor: The colours! I'm struck by how delicately this cityscape is rendered. The cool blues of the water meet these muted, warm tones of the buildings, creating this peaceful atmosphere, like looking back on a prosperous, if somewhat removed, past. Curator: What draws me is how the materials are combined. Silvestre, with that etching ground and needle, controls the printed lines defining forms, and then enhances with ink wash and watercolour tints in such soft washes. Note how these different modes of facture build both linear precision and atmospheric spaciousness into the representation. Editor: Precisely. Note how the castle itself, dominating the skyline, almost becomes an emblem of civic pride. I see echoes of earlier Renaissance ideals of order and beauty, distilled through this particular Baroque sensibility. Look closely at those figures near the water... their inclusion, though tiny, seems so very intentional, as though to show how important all labors of men is to that order. Curator: Certainly, the harbour view tells us something about urban consumption and mobility in 17th-century Naples. This etching wouldn't have just sprung up in isolation; rather it came from a studio producing multiple images destined to travel. They weren't casual snapshots: this image represents a carefully calibrated picturesque view designed for consumption, even as the work depended upon specific skill sets across numerous artisan labors for its production. Editor: True. This artwork is also framed in a circular format—almost like a keepsake. It encapsulates the power and romance associated with Naples and its place in collective European imaginations, evoking a kind of yearning for perhaps what Italy might be in the wake of so much war across that century. Curator: Indeed, this print offered a commodified vista but one invested with political and social resonance during a tumultuous period. Understanding these complex intersections, the social impact of reproducibility through artisanal knowledge and the politics, renders a deeper, richer understanding of this quiet harbour view. Editor: Reflecting on it, the image truly feels layered – a picturesque scene at first glance, but upon closer examination it presents a more detailed and considered portrait of that historical time.