(Vienna 1793–1875)
A view of the Amalfi coast near Ravello, signed Tho. Ender,
oil on canvas, 58 x 78.5 cm, framed, (Rei) 

Compare:
Friedrich von Boetticher, Malerwerke des 19. Jahrhunderts, Hofheim am Taunus 1979, vol. I, 1, pp. 283–284.

Thomas Ender was one of Austria’s most important 19th-century landscapists. In 1806 he entered the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna with his brother Johann Nepomuk (1793-1854). Ender soon displayed a talent for landscape painting, whilst his brother concentrated on history painting. The President of the Viennese Academy, Prince Clemens Metternich, recognised his talent and supported him in his activity as a travel painter. In this role he was able to visit Brazil during the Austrian Expedition between 1817-1818, and later Italy, where he studied from 1819 to 1823 and painted evocative landscapes with figural staffage. In 1828 he became court painter to Archduke John of Austria. 
His interest primarily lay in the topographical accuracy of his images, in line with contemporary tastes. Consequently, in this work he depicts a view of the Amalfi coast with Ravello visible in the background. The painstakingly precise reproduction of the landscape finds expression, inter alia, in the Capuchin monks in the foreground. The particular lighting conditions give the painting an attractive atmospheric effect.