The Caves of Ulysses at Sorrento, Naples

Collins's Caves of Ulysses at Sorrento from 1843 refers to the legendary grotto on the Sorrento coast associated with the Homeric hero, adding classical literary association to the Mediterranean coastal scenery he had painted during his Italian tour. The identification of specific Italian coastal features with Homeric or Virgilian narrative was a standard move of the Grand Tour imagination, which sought classical antiquity everywhere in the Italian landscape. Collins's treatment would have appealed to educated English viewers who recognized both the physical beauty of the scene and its literary resonance — the pleasure of the painting compounded by the pleasure of recognition.

Collins captures the dramatic contrast between the dark cave interior and the brilliant Mediterranean light beyond. The rock surfaces are rendered with textured, descriptive brushwork while the water reflects both shadow and light with varied, fluid strokes. The warm Mediterranean palette contrasts with the cool cave shadows.