View of the Gulf of Naples

View of the Gulf of Naples is a marine painting executed in 1712 on copper by Caspar van Wittel. The work entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains on display. Its dimensions are 20 cm by 50.5 cm, and it is catalogued as a marine genre piece.

The painting’s provenance traces a direct acquisition path to the museum, reflecting its status as a canonical example of early Dutch marine art.

The painting is part of the Rijksmuseum collection in Amsterdam. It was acquired under inventory number SK-A-1234 and has been displayed in the museum’s Dutch Golden Age gallery since 2005.

The work was first shown publicly in the 1998 exhibition "Dutch Marine Paintings of the 18th Century" held at the Rijksmuseum. It was later included in the traveling exhibition "European Views: 18th‑Century Landscapes" that toured major European institutions from 2012 to 2014.

Created in 1712, this small copper painting presents a panoramic view of the Gulf of Naples. The composition opens onto a tranquil sea framed by a distant, mist‑veiled horizon, while a rocky promontory on the left supports a modest fortification. A solitary tree crowns the foreground, and figures stroll along the shoreline, lending a sense of everyday activity to the expansive landscape.

Van Wittel, a Dutch artist who settled in Rome, was instrumental in shaping the veduta genre, which combined exacting architectural rendering with atmospheric effects. This painting exemplifies his approach to coastal scenes, merging scientific observation of geography with an aesthetic that highlights the subtle gradations of light and distance characteristic of early Enlightenment visual culture.