The Castle of Ischia from the Mole, 1839-1841 By Clarkson Stanfield at Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens
The Castle of Ischia from the Mole, 1839-1841
By Clarkson Stanfield (1793-1867)
Oil on canvas
This painting by Stanfield shows the dramatic ‘Castello Aragonese’ off the Italian island of Ischia. The view is taken from the causeway connecting the fortress to the main island. The vessels in difficulty to the right of the causeway are small Italian cargo boats that traded around the coast.
Stanfield was born in Sunderland and spent time in the merchant navy before he became a theatrical scenery painter. This gave him good training in painting on a very large scale. He travelled around Britain and Europe in search of the dramatic coastal scenery and shipwrecks for which he is best known.
