2 Watercolors Depicting The 1887 Disaster On The Nice Riviera In Imperia.

This earthquake destroyed many homes and killed several hundred people in the cities from Nice to Imperia. These two watercolors show us the damaged neighborhoods. We can see demolished buildings, piles of rubble, and support beams holding up unstable walls. The artist depicted the aftermath of the disaster for a commemorative report. His works were likely not created for sale, as there are unfinished pencil sketches; but were created to document the damage caused by the earthquake that occurred in February 1887—either as a record for the artist himself, for a loved one, or for a newspaper of the time. The watercolors were painted in 1893 by Jean Baptiste Brunel, a Provençal painter who signed his works “JB Brunel” and sometimes simply “B Brunel,” as seen here. The locations depicted are difficult to pinpoint precisely; fortunately, the tower should help identify which city is shown—Nice or Menton? We do not believe that Brunel traveled as far as Impéria to paint these watercolors; he was familiar with our region, and there were—and still are—Brunels in Nice, likely relatives. Small carts pulled by donkeys and driven by laborers are visible in both watercolors; however, in a photograph of Nice taken around the same time during the expansion of the port, one can also see several identical small carts clearing debris from the construction site. It is documented that the repair work lasted several years, and it is a fact that six years after the earthquake, certain neighborhoods were still in ruins. 52x41 cm. Exceptional documents. Antique frames.