Art Collections Online

At the start of his second stay in Naples, from May 1780 until August 1783, Jones found lodgings with a roof terrace in a house near the harbour. From this vantage-point he made a series of highly finished oil studies of neighbouring buildings which have a remarkable freshness and immediacy. Away from the grand palaces and popular Italian sights, Thomas Jones delighted in humbler subjects – crumbling walls, lines of washing, shuttered windows. These were not the usual subjects of an eighteenth century artist. This minutely-detailed sketch was painted from the roof of his house in Naples. With its dusty blue and silver grey tones and unusual cropping technique, it looks refreshingly modern.