0340 Il contesto biografico e creativo della veduta panoramica di Napoli di Jan van Stinemolen

Jan van Stinemolen (1518–1582) is an interesting artist who remains largely unknown. As he is not mentioned in Karel van Mander's Schilder-Boeck, his biography must be pieced together from archival sources and remains incomplete. These sources primarily record Stinemolen's presence in the Spanish Netherlands, first in his hometown of Mechelen and later in Antwerp. The dates of his time in Naples and southern Italy – a trip to Sicily can be inferred from one of his drawings – are unclear. Like other members of his family, he was probably primarily active as a silversmith and jeweller – a prosperous profession, although he may have been affected by the religious wars in his homeland. Nothing has survived of his work as a silversmith; apart from the spectacular View of Naples, only a few drawings remain, most of which are attributed to him on stylistic grounds. Stinemolen's particular amalgamation of topographical map and perspectival view in this panorama may have its roots in Mechelen, where urban cartography flourished in the 16th century. His fascination with landscapes created by volcanic forces is evident in his drawings. The characteristics of his panorama allow us to form further hypotheses about his artistic motivations and his interest in natural history.