Private Collection, Germany.

C. Nordhoff and H. Reimer, Jakob Philipp Hackert 1737-1807, Berlin 1994, p.59, cat. no. 141, reproduced, plate 64.

Relined. paint surface is clean and painting can be hung as is. there is excellent retention of the paint surface with lovely detail and strong coloration. under UV: varnish fluoresces unevenly; only a few scattered retouches can be seen in sky, one area in center of foliage, and a few in foreground. In a gilt wood frame with stylized leaf pattern; some nicks and losses.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present painting utilizes the themes of moon and firelight which Hackert had previously focused on during the 1770's. A similar composition which utilizes a moonlit view of the lighthouse in the Bay of Naples with fishing boats in the foreground appears in a work signed and dated Rome, 1773, now in the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in Cologne.¹   In that painting as well as the present composition, Hackert contrasts the silvery hues of the moonlight reflected in the water, with the warmth and hot reds of the fire by which the figures assembled outside the Customs House can dance. The tree, prominently placed in the center left foreground bisects the prime spaces and color concepts being shown: the fiery reds of the dancing scene to the left, and the cool, crisp greys of the waterscape to the right. He had used this device previously in a painting signed and dated Roma 1778.²  Hackert, along with Pierre-Jacques Volaire (1729-1792?) and Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797), two artists also living in Italy at the same moment as Hackert, succesfully utili𝐆zed similar devices in which warm an🌸d cool colors were juxtaposed for emotional effect.

1. see C. Nordhoff and H. Reimer, Jakob Philipp Hackert 1737-1807, Berlin 1994, p.29, cat. no. 75, reproduced, plate 30.
2. see C. Nordhoff and H. Reimer, Jakob Philipp Hackert 1737-1807, Ber🥂lin 1994, p.50, ♔cat. no. 120, reproduced, plate 54.