Pentedatelo, Calabria, Italy

1847 (?)

Not on view

Lear made this drawing on a trip through southern Italy in 1847. His diary records that on July 30, he arrived, “at an elevated plateau whence the whole 'Toe of Italy' is finely discernible, a sea of undulating lines of varied forms down to the Mediterranean; a few towns glittered here and there, and towering over the southern extremity of land, a high cluster or rocks, the wild crags of Pentedátelo, particularly arrested our attention." From a villa surrounded by a grape arbor and melon patch we look toward a distant cluster of jagged peaks (the Pentedatelo, or Pentedattilo, a geological formation that resembles five fingers). The watercolor's original colors have faded significantly, but the work remains a useful record of Lear's journey.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

References

Title: Pentedatelo, Calabria, Italy
Artist: Edward Lear (British, London 1812–1888 San Remo)
Date: 1847 (?)
Medium: Watercolor over graphite
Dimensions: Sheet (through mat): 10 1/4 × 20 9/16 in. (26 × 52.2 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James Gordon Douglas III, 2014
Object Number: 2014.635.4
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Edward Lear

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

View of Sciacca, Sicily, Edward Lear British, Pen and brown ink, over graphite — View of Sciacca, Sicily
Edward Lear
May 20, 1847

View of St. Peter's, Rome, Edward Lear British, Graphite — View of St. Peter's, Rome
Edward Lear
1843

The Scroobious Pip

Multiple artists/makers

1968

Durázzo, Albania

Edward Lear

Richard Bentley

1851

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.