Giuseppe De Nittis (Italian, 1846-1884) Guida del Vesuvio (Guide to Mt. Vesuvius) Oil on panel 9-3/8 x 5-3/4 inches (23.8 x 14.6 cm) Stamped verso: Atelier / De Nittis Property from the Dr. Sheldon G. and Irma H. Gilgore Collection of Italian Art 1850-1925 PROVENANCE: Wattelin, Paris, 1942; Borghi & Co., New York; Acquired from the above, March 15. 1990. EXHIBITED: Borghi & Co., New York, "Italian Masters of the 19th Century," May - June 1989, no. 21, as "Fisherman's Head." LITERATURE: P. Dini & G. L. Marini, De Nittis, La Vita, i Documenti, Le Opere Dipinte, vol. I, Turin, 1990, p. 389, no. 356, illustrated vol. II. Giuseppe De Nittis's travels in southern Italy, particularly around Naples, played a formative role in his early career. During the late 1860s and early 1870s, he produced a series of works depicting Mount Vesuvius and its surrounding landscape, painting from nature—a preoccupation shared with his fellow members of the Scuola di Resina—and capturing the region's distinctive atmosphere and ever-changing environment. Many of these works were painted on small panels, similar to the present Guida del Vesuvio. This "keyhole" portrait is thought to depict one of the men the artist hired for the long trek up and down the volcano; it may also represent one of the fishermen De Nittis encountered on the docks of Naples. HID12401132022 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

Borghi & Co., New York, "Italian Masters of the 19th Century," May - June 1989, no. 21, as Fisherman's Head.

Wattelin, Paris, 1942; Borghi & Co., New York; Acquired from the above, March 15. 1990.

Discoloration to panel, not affecting image area.
Under UV: varnish fluoresces green. No apparent inpainting.
Framed Dimensions 15 X 11.25 Inches