(Vienna 1787–1828 Dresden)
The Capuchin Monastery on the Amalfi Coast, signed, dated Jos. Rebell 1813, oil on canvas, 97.5 x 133.5 cm, framed (frame damaged), (Rei)

Provenance:
Private Collection USA;
Private Collection Austria.

Compare:
Dorotheum Vienna, 24 April 2007, lot 417.

We are grateful to Dr. Sabine Grabner, Belvedere, Vienna, for the scientific assistance.

In this early work by the Austrian landscape painter Joseph Rebell dating from 1813, the young artist reveals his wild side: with a virtuosic touch, he contrasts the green, roaring sea with the iron-grey of the stormy sky and the shore that is still bathed in warm sunlight and offering salvation. The action on the beach picks up on the dramatic mood: fishermen have just rescued a young woman from the stormy sea, and she lies in their arms, unconscious. A monk from the Capuchin monastery, which nestles against the rocks in the background, hurries to help.
Rebell studied at Vienna’s Academy from 1799 to 1809. After his initial interest in architectural design, he soon turned to landscape painting. Upon completion of his studies, he undertook his first journeys to Switzerland (1809/10) and Milan (1810-1812). They were followed by a two-year stay (1813-1815) in Naples. There, Rebel was in contact with Caroline Bonaparte, Napoleon’s youngest sister. Her husband, General Joachim Murat, had been appointed King of Naples by his brother-in-law in 1808. Caroline was deeply involved in her husband’s career and represented him as regent during his participation in Napoleon’s campaigns. In addition, she was involved in the renovation of the royal residence in Naples and took a keen interest in local art and the archaeological excavations in Pompeii.
The motif of the Capuchin monastery in Amalfi, with the group of figures clustered around the woman rescued from the stormy sea, appears several times in Rebell’s work. The present version is by far the largest, the most nuanced and most impressive. As a result, it would be reasonable to assume that Rebell had made it for an important client, perhaps even for Caroline Bonaparte.