Gaspar van Wittel, called Vanvitelli

Gaspar van Wittel (1652/53, 1736), known in Italy as Vanvitelli, was a Dutch-born painter who became one of the founding figures of the veduta tradition, specializing in precise, topographically accurate views of Italian cities. He spent most of his career in Rome and Naples, where his meticulous depictions of urban landscapes attracted aristocratic and royal patrons across Europe. His detailed cityscapes of Rome, Naples, Venice, and Florence laid the groundwork for the later vedutisti, including Canaletto and Bellotto.