View of Naples or a View from Rhodes? Mary's only work in Tate

On Friday I received a lovely birthday present from my husband. It was late as Simon had been waiting for Tate to take a photo of the only work by Mary Severn Newton in their collection, for which he’d paid to have licence to get a single print made. It is a vividly colourful watercolour by her but entitled ‘View of Naples’ (T09845). When I’d looked at the image on the Tate website, I’d been concerned that wasn’t right but I don’t know Naples well and visited a long time ago. The image on the website – while lovely to see – wasn’t in sufficient detail to scour for clues.

When he came home with the framed print, my excitement was immediately overridden by definitely seeing the windmills on the shore. ‘That isn’t Naples, it’s Rhodes!’ I said. Beyond them, across the characteristically bright blue Mediterranean, are the hills of Lycia. We’d seen that view ourselves just earlier this year.

Copy of 'View of Naples' by Mary Severn Newton

The more I’ve looked, the more I am convinced that this is Rhodes Town from Mary’s visit there with her husband Charles Thomas Newton and their friend Gertrude Jekyll in 1863 (see my previous post). It looks to me as though it is the view from near the main entrance and the Tower of St Peter, looking out towards the coasty and windmills. It may be the other side of the palace, towards the Gate of St Catherine, which would provide a more distinct view of the Lycian mountains in Turkey.

Castle dell'Ovo, Naples

I’d previously thought the subject might be the Castle dell’Ovo in Naples, which I have visited once, and is in a bay. However, the angled rather than horizontal tops of the battlements in this watercolour are distinctly Ottoman and the windmills, that I could see clearly for the first time, are an emblem of Rhodes.

Mary’s work was purchased by Tate in 1996 as part of the Oppé Collection; a collection of mainly British watercolours and prints from the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries formed by art historian Paul Oppé (1878-1957). Oppé’s archive is at the Paul Mellon Centre in Yale so I won’t have much chance of accessing it anytime soon. However, I will need to book an appointment to see this at Tate now!

Rhodes

There are two sketches by Mary showing windmills in Rhodes Town (one is above) and a view of ‘Rhodes Overlooking the Harbour’ (Plate V) from the first volume of Charles Thomas Newton’s Travels and Discoveries. This view was photographed by Dominic E. Colnaghi and drawn by Mary’s brother Walter Severn for Newton’s publication.

When we visited in April, the Lady, Simon and I walked around the outside of the entire castellated town.

These photos give you a sense of it.

In 'View of Naples' the mountains of Lycia across the deep blue sea can clearly be seen. In fact, when the Lord looked at the watercolour on Friday, he said that sea looks Greek. Yes, I said, the Aegean.

Mary’s work bequeathed

Mary did go to Naples at least twice. Once with her sister Eleanor and husband Charles in 1864. Eleanor’s diary records them going together. And then, possibly another time in the summer of 1865 as Eleanor records that was the last time she saw her sister after Mary’s death in January 1866. It is likely that Charles and Mary had travelled to Rome to visit her father and Eleanor and to purchase items for the British Museum, then gone to Naples again. Charles Thomas Newton’s will, made in 1888 and then a codicil in 1889 – 5 years before Newton’s death – lists work by Mary of Naples in 1865. See the screen shot of the will above.*

Most of Mary’s work was bequeathed to Mary’s sister Eleanor and Mary Kemp Welch. The sketches of Naples and those in another portfolio went to Kemp Welch, including one titled ‘Lycian Mountains opposite coast’ and many others of Rhodes. It is likely that this watercolour in the Tate is from that bequest. Mary Kemp Welch was the wife of Henry Kemp Welch and lived in Rosetti Mansions Chelsea at the time of the 1891 census and died on 27 November 1904. Little else is currently known about her, though a catalogue of a Whitechapel Fine Art Exhibition from 1896 lists An Eastern Mourner by ‘Mrs C. Newton’ lent by Mrs H. Kemp Welch as well as a loan of her own painting ‘Lake Conway, Florida’, so she was an artist too (Whitechapel 1896).** I’ve checked Henry Kemp Welch’s will too and there is no mention of art at all. If anyone does know anything more I’d be grateful for information. . .

In the meantime, Simon has contacted the kind person at Tate who got the watercolour digitised for me and let them know I think it to be of Rhodes not Naples. We will see what happens next, but I’m so glad that museums and galleries put their catalogues online.

*Thanks to Thomas Kiely for sending me his copy of the Will and Codicil of Charles Thomas Newton.

** Thanks to Peter Bradford for this information.