Artwork
On the Bay of Naples
On the Bay of Naples is an oil painting by the Romanticist artist Léon-François-Antoine Fleury. It dates from 1830 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Executed in 1830, this work is an oil painting applied on paper. The composition features a tree as its primary subject matter. Physically, the sheet measures 22.9 cm in height and 29.5 cm in width. The piece is classified as a painting within the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
History & Provenance
The work was acquired in 1999 by Frank Anderson Trapp (1922–2005) of Pittsburgh, and in 2004 he gave it to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.
On the Bay of Naples was created in 1830 by Léon-François-Antoine Fleury, executed in oil on paper. The documented ownership chain begins with its purchase in Paris by James Mackinnon of London. The work was acquired in 1999 by Frank Anderson Trapp (1922–2005) of Pittsburgh, and in 2004 he gave it to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it is now held. The 1999 acquisition is corroborated by a handwritten note by Trapp preserved in the NGA curatorial files.
No commission information is recorded in the available sources.
The painting On the Bay of Naples by Léon-François-Antoine Fleury is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Its provenance begins with its acquisition in Paris by James Mackinnon of London. The work later entered the collection of Frank Anderson Trapp (1922–2005) of Pittsburgh in 1999, having been purchased that year. In 2004, Trapp gifted the painting to the National Gallery of Art, where it remains part of the institutional holdings.
No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available sources for this work. Furthermore, the provided documentation does not record any exhibition history for the painting prior to its arrival at the National Gallery of Art.
Overview
Léon‑François‑Antoine Fleury’s oil work on paper, dated around 1830, presents a solitary tree positioned on the shoreline of the Bay of Naples. The composition is restrained, allowing the arboreal form to dominate the visual field while the distant water recedes into muted tones. The piece measures modestly, reflecting the artist’s interest in isolated natural subjects within a broader landscape.
Subject & Meaning
The lone tree serves as the focal point, its silhouette contrasting with the calm expanse of the bay behind it. By isolating the trunk and foliage against a simple horizon, Fleury emphasizes the relationship between a single element of nature and the surrounding maritime environment, inviting contemplation of solitude and the interplay of land and sea.
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