Jean-Charles Joseph Remond (1795 - 1875)
Castel dell'Ovo, Naples, Italy. Sorrento and Capri in the background
Oil on canvas. 27 x 35 cms
Signed and dated 1849
The artist; A painter of romantic, atmospheric landscapes, Jean-Charles Remond studied in France under Henri Regnault and Nicolas Bertin and was one of the earliest teachers of the Barbizon painter Theodore Rousseau. He won many prizes for his grandiose landscapes including the Prix de Rome in 1921 for "The Rape of Prosperpine by Pluto."Following paintings of mythology subjects in classical style, he developed a more naturalistic style, often painting pleinair in the French and Italian countrysides. He painted in America including Niagara Falls
The subject: The castle's name comes from a medieval legend which tells that the poet Virgil put a magical egg in the foundations to support them. It is located on a small island of the Gulf of Naples, ''Megaride'', where colonists from Cumae founded the original city in the 6th century BC. Its location affords it an excellent view of the Naples waterfront and the surrounding area. In the 1st century BC the Roman patrician Lucullus built the magnificent villa ''Castellum Lucullanum'' on the site. Fortified by Valentinian III in the mid 5th century, it was the place to which the last western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was exiled in in 476. Eugippius founded a monastery on the site after 492.The remains of the Roman-era structures and later fortifications were demolished by local residents in the 9th century to prevent their use by Saracen raiders. The first castle on the site was built by the Italo-Normans in the 12th century. The importance of the Castel dell'Ovo began to decline when king Charles I of Anjou built a new castle, Castel Nuovo, and moved his court there. Castel dell'Ovo became the seat of the Royal Chamber and of the State Treasury. The current appearance dates from the Aragonese domination of the15th century. It was struck by French and Spanish artillery during the Italian Wars; in the Neapolitan wars (1799) its guns were used by rebels to deter the Bourbon forces.
In the 1800s a small fishing village (''Borgo Marinari'') developed around the castle's eastern wall. This village remains, now known for its marina and restaurants.
The castle is rectangular in shape (approximately 200 by 45 metres at its widest) and has a high angular bastion overlooking the causeway. Within the walls are areas that are now used for exhibitions and special events
