View of the island of Stromboli

A view of the volcanic island of Stromboli, engraved by William Watts for Mayer's 'Views in the Ottoman Dominions, in Europe, in Asia, and some of the Mediterranean islands, from the original drawings taken for Sir Robert Ainslie'.

Luigi Mayer (1755-1803), an Italian-German artist, travelled extensively through the Mediterranean and the Ottoman Empire between 1776 and 1794. His watercolours and drawings form one of most important records of the Middle East in the 18th century. Mayer's patron was Sir Robert Ainslie, British ambassador to Turkey 1776-92: much of Mayer's work was presented to the British Museum as part of Ainslie's bequest, including the watercolour on which this print is based, in an album dated 1788.