Gabriele Carelli (Italian 1820-1900)

Born into an artistic dynasty in Naples, Gabriele Carelli was the son of the landscape painter Raffaele Carelli.  In 1837 he accompanied his older brother Consalvo to Rome, where he completed his training before returning to Naples in 1840.  Gabriele took part in exhibitions in Naples in 1841 and 1845, and was introduced by his father to his patron, the 6th Duke of Devonshire.  As a result, the young Carelli spent some time in 1847 and 1848 in England, where he continued to receive the patronage and hospitality of the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth, Devonshire House and Chiswick; several works by both Raffaele and Gabriele Carelli are today at Chatsworth. 

Carelli took part in exhibitions in Naples between 1851 and 1859 but eventually returned to London, where he exhibited frequently between 1866 and 1892.  His work was shown at the Graves and Dudley Galleries in London, and he was admitted into the Royal Academy in 1874, exhibiting there until 1880. 

He married an Englishwoman and settled in Kenilworth in London, eventually becoming a naturalized British citizen.  In 1875 two of his paintings of Neapolitan views were exhibited in Naples and won the artist a gold medal; purchased by Ferdinand II, King of the Two Sicilies, they are today in the Palazzo Reale in Naples.  

In the early 1880s Carelli came to the attention of Queen Victoria, and he was to enjoy her favor and patronage for the rest of his career.  A number of watercolor views of England, Italy and France by the artist are today in the Royal Collection at Osborne House and Windsor Castle, while other groups of drawings and watercolors are in the collection of the Royal Institute of British Architects in London and the Museo di San Martino in Naples.

Active mainly as a watercolorist, Carelli traveled widely in search of picturesque subject matter, throughout Italy and Spain as well as further afield; to Greece, the Near East and North Africa.