Lot 93: BENIAMINO DE FRANCESCO

BENIAMINO DE FRANCESCO (BARLETTA 1815 - DINARD-SAINT MALO 1869) A VIEW OF CETARA ON THE AMALFI COAST, TOWARDS THE VICEROY'S TOWER signed and dated lower left: D Francefco Napoli 1835 oil on canvas, unlined 83.5 by 125.4 cm.; 32 7/8 by 49 3/8 in.

Beniamino de Francesco moved to Naples with his parents at a young age and soon came under the infuence of Anton Pitloo (1791-1837). In 1835 he was awarded a gold medal at the Bourbon exhibition where his Landscape with the Catacombs of San Gennaro was acquired by the king, and still hangs in the Palazzo Reale, Naples. By 1842 he had moved to France, finally settling in Brittany, and exhibited at the Paris Salons from 1843-49.

In 1534 a Turkish fleet sacked the Amalfi coast, including the villages of Erchie, Soverano and Cetara. The Viceroy's Tower, which still stands today, was subsequently erected to ward off future attacks.