Lot 121: William Parrott (1813-1869)

Peace in Naples; Francis II at the Festival of Piedigrotta in the Villa Reale, Naples, 7 t h September, 1859 signed and dated 'W.Parrott 1861' (lower left) oil on canvas 34 x 52 in. (87 x 132.1 cm.) PROVENANCE Sir Reginald Gooch. Mrs F.W. Schwyn; (+) Christie's, London, 13 February 1976, lot 117 (œ2000 to M. Newman Ltd). with Monaco Fine Arts, Monte-Carlo. NOTES William Parrott's training as a topographer and lithographer informs his historical and genre scenes. He produced various series of lithographs documenting views of both London and Paris. He also travelled in Europe, touring Italy and Germany during the 1840s and 1850s, and frequenting Normandy and Brittany in later years. In 1868 he painted Vesuvius in eruption. An instinct for theatre and spectacle, coupled with the topographer's stylistic clarity, produces work rich in both historical interest and theatrical charm. This painting is typical, in that it celebrates contemporary history taking place within a setting resonant of the city's cultural past. Other Neapolitan views depicted by Parrott include The Palace of Queen Johanna of Naples and The Barcarole, Naples Shore, both exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1846. The "Festival of Piedigrotta" refers to a spectacular parade held annually since the seventeenth century. It was attended by viceroys and kings, and had hosted a song-writing contest since the 1830s. The name means "at the foot of the grotto" and refers to the nearby Roman tunnel that cut through the hill behind the church, and led into the fabled Phlegrean Fields, the mythological entrance to Hades. Parrott's depiction of the king's easy interaction with his people, in an ambient setting where Neapolitans sprawl in the sun, belies the monarch's fragile status. Francis II had succeeded his father Ferdinand II (1810-1859) as king of the Two Sicilies in May. Peace had only recently been established in the region, and Parrott's idealised view is essentially an epilogue for a time when Italy's provincial rulers could still command public shows of affection. Ferdinand's ostensibly liberal policies had been undermined by his own bureaucratic inefficiency, and in 1848 civilian demands sparked uprisings in Naples and Sicily. Ferdinand introduced a constitution modelled on the 1830 French version, which initially appeased Naples, whilst Sicily pressed for autonomy. Naples also witnessed renewed unrest as rebels demanded concessions within the constitution. Ferdinand ordered the Royal Forces to subdue these factions, and subsequently defeated Sicily by military means. Francis II's reprieve was brief. His attempts to form an alliance with Victor Emmanuel of Sardinia, around whom the 'Risorgimento' had coalesced, proved futile. By 1860 Garibaldi had conquered Sicily and was advancing on Naples. Francis fled to Gaeta, only to surrender to Victor Emmanuel II the following year. A comparable work by Parrott, entitled A fair in the Champs Elysee, Paris sold at Christie's, London, 12 June 2001 (œ124,750).