Painting of Naples from the air?

June 27, 2022 10:42 AM

I have a distinct memory of having seen in a museum an Old Masters-style painting of what I recall as being the Bay of Naples painted from an aerial view (which would've been impossible at the time) with Jesus? and a saint (the patron saint of the depicted city?) in the sky and foreground, surrounded by clouds at the edges of the frame. My possibly entirely made-up recollection is that it was Naples, with San Gennaro interceding with Jesus to address a plague or some such catastrophe.

I cannot find this via Google Images and am now wondering if I'm misremembering the city (was it somewhere in Sicily?). But I'm pretty sure it was Jesus floating in the sky with a saint, and the viewer looks down at them and the water and land behind and below them. I also half-recall that the museum card talked about how unique it was at the time to render an accurate aerial view.

Thanks.

posted by the sobsister to Media & Arts (8 answers total)

It's not this one, is it? Famous early aerial image of the city, but nobody but birds in the sky.
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:50 AM on June 27, 2022

Response by poster: Thanks. No, I don't think so. I recall the view being more like from a plane or balloon, that high up. And I'm pretty sure there were two figures in the foreground in the air.
posted by the sobsister at 11:40 AM on June 27, 2022

any sense of what period/style?

(not >this either, right?)
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:18 PM on June 27, 2022

Best answer: How about this one
Saint Januarius Interceding for Naples (San Gennaro protegge la citt di Napoli), by Onofrio Palumbo and Didier Barra, 17th Century, oil on canvas"
posted by 15L06 at 12:21 PM on June 27, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Did you already look at this essay and its catalog of "S. Gennaro intercedes over Naples" images?
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:22 PM on June 27, 2022 [1 favorite]

And here without the saint.
posted by 15L06 at 12:33 PM on June 27, 2022

Response by poster: 15L06, that's the perspective I remember! Thank you for that. It may be that I mindshopped in San Gennaro and Jesus.

And thank you, fingersandtoes, for that essay. I look forward to reading it.

Appreciate you all's help on this. Much closer to an answer.
posted by the sobsister at 2:02 PM on June 27, 2022 [1 favorite]

You are welcome. San Gennaro is there, but only in the first link i posted, in the top left Corner, but Jesus is missing. Second Version has neither Jesus nor San Gennaro. But quite possibly a further version exists.
posted by 15L06 at 2:50 PM on June 27, 2022 [1 favorite]