C hristoph H einrich K niep
Hildesheim 1755 - Naples 1825
23. View of Cava dei Tirreni, 1788 c.
Pen and brush with brown ink on paper
600 x 850 mm
Provenance:
Rome, private collection.
The drawing examined in this paper, showing a view of the town of Cava dei Tirreni and its surrounding countryside,
was drawn by Christoph Heinrich Kniep, who began his artistic career as a portraitist in Hamburg in 1778. He
travelled to Berlin in 1780, where he became acquainted with the prince bishop, a writer and art lover by the name of
Ignacy Krasicki (1735-1801) who paid for him to travel to Rome, which he reached in 1781. It was at that moment
(at the very latest) that Kniep started to specialise in landscape painting. While in Rome, he struck up a friendship
with Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein (1751-1829) who introduced him to the painters Johann Georg Schütz
(1755-1813) and Friedrich Bury (1763-1823). His circle of acquaintances also included Jakob Philipp Hackert
(1737-1807), the most famous landscape artist of the day. When Krasicki’s funds dried up shortly after Kniep’s arrival
in Rome, the artist was forced to start earning his living with his art.
Kniep left Rome in October 1785 and moved to Naples, where he was to remain for the rest of his life. It marked a
major breakthrough for him when Tischbein introduced him to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) in 1787.
Goethe, who had arrived in Rome in 1786 and found lodgings in Tischein’s apartments at number 18, Via del Corso,
accompanied Tischbein to Naples in 1787.
Kniep and Goethe’s trip to Sicily lasted from 29 March to 15 May 1787 and led to a decided improvement in the artist’s
situation: Goethe purchased all of the drawings Kniep made while the two men were travelling, and he went on to
procure several major commissions for him after his return to Weimar. Kniep died, after a serious illness, in July 1825,
and was buried in the Protestant cemetery of San Carlo all’Arena in Naples.
The drawing examined in this paper depicts the town of Cava dei Tirreni, situated a short distance from Salerno and
surrounded on all sides by mountains. The view Kniep offers us is taken from the south, with the towering twin-
peaked Monte Finestra (1,145 mt.) looming on the horizon. In front of the mountain we can see the roofs of the
houses and the bell tower of the church of San Francesco on the right, while to the left we can see the arches of the
tall viaduct leading to Vietri sul Mare. 1 Following a trip to the area of Cava dei Tirreni to gather new material for his
drawings, Kniep wrote to Goethe on 23 December 1788: “Herewith, my dear friend, a list of all my drawings, both
old and new, drawn during my trip to Cava […]. The large [drawings]: […] the view of Cava with its mountains and
the great bridge carrying the road to Paestum. - Another near Cava with mountains and farmhouses. - The mountain
close to Vietri. Vietri, the sea shore […]… - A valley not far from Cava with the Monte Liberatore […].“ 2 On the
basis of this letter it is reasonable to assume that Kniep’s trip to Cava dei Tirreni took place in the summer of 1788 and
that our drawing was produced either during or after that trip, because the subject matter may be identified with the
first drawing the artist mentions in his list, namely the “view of Cava with its mountains and the great bridge”.
The drawing examined in this paper may be associated with another drawing currently in Berlin showing the same
view, but with slightly different details (see ill. 2) 3 . Given that the Berlin drawing bears the date of 1789 and that, in
his letter to his friend Goethe mentioned above, Kniep talks about a view of Cava dei Tirreni with the bridge which he
drew either during or immediately after the summer 1788, I would like to venture the suggestion that that view should
be identified with the drawing examined in this paper – in which case it should be dated to between the summer of
1788 and 23 December of that same year, when the artist wrote his letter to Goethe in Weimar.
Christoph Heinrich Kniep was without any doubt one of the most accomplished landscape draughtsmen of the late
18 th century, and the drawing examined in this paper may be considered to be one of his masterpieces.
( CN )