(Reutlingen 1854–1920 Munich)
Market near Porta Capuana, Naples, signed, dated P. W. Keller Reutlingen, Munich 1889, oil on canvas, 45 x 64 cm, framed

The Porta Capuana was once part of the 15th century city walls around Naples. After the walls were demolished, the Renaissance gate remained as a freestanding structure. The Italian architect and sculptor Giuliano da Maiano combined defensive intent with the idea of a Roman triumphal arch in this structure.
The two massive towers, of which only the left is partially visible in the present work, stand for honour and virtue. An aedicule with a depiction of Mary and the saints sat above the Carrara marble portal until the 19th century. This was erected in the 17th century to protect the city from a severe plague epidemic. The whereabouts of this component are uncertain; it is still clearly visible in the painting. To the right of the gate, the dome of the Chiesa di Santa Caterina a Formiello - now a light grey - towers over a lively market scene.
Paul Wilhelm Keller-Reutlingen, who took the name of his home town of Reutlingen in Württemberg, initially learned various woodblock printing techniques (xylography). After studying at the Stuttgart art school, he continued his training at the Royal Academy of Arts in Munich until 1874. An extended trip to Italy in 1879 took Keller-Reutlingen to Rome, Florence, Naples and Venice. In 1893 he was involved in the foundation of the Munich Secession before being appointed professor six years later. His works were exhibited in the Glaspalast, among other places, and often show idyllic landscapes with farmsteads in the background; Italian motifs tend to be the exception in his oeuvre.