Portrait of Haymon Estaper (student of the Royal Neapolitan Military Academy in Capodimonte) in the uniform of the Neapolitan freedom fighter “Il Masaniello”,
oil on canvas, 63 x 50 cm, framed, (Rei)

The present picture shows the portrait of a young man, dressed in the typical costume of a 19th-century Italian fisherman. However, the inscription on the scroll in front of him indicates that we are dealing with a student of the Reale Accademia Militare in Naples. This military academy, founded in 1787 by the Bourbon King Charles III, was affiliated with a small church, named The Annunciation to the Virgin (ital. Annunziata). The shortened form “Nunziatella” used by the locals was soon adopted as an informal name for this training post and is today part of its official name (Scuola Militare Nunziatella). The military academy was attended predominantly by young aristocrats acquiring experience in military life. The man portrayed here, named Haymo Estaper, betrays his high social status through his noble facial features and through the academic style of the painting. The unknown artist may presumably be placed amongst the circle of painters educated at the Napoleon Academy, which we see in his technique and manner of implementing his theme. The execution of the clothing, as well as the way in which the scroll is presented, show the characteristics of an academic training. His headwear and garments can identify the prospective student as the Neapolitan freedom fighter Masaniello (real name Tommaso Aniello d’Amalfi, 1620–1647), a fisherman and fruit merchant who revolted against the Spanish ruling class’s failure to deliver tax relief. Today Masaniello is still greatly popular in Naples, where he is celebrated as a folk hero.