A pair of watercolors depicting the 1779 eruption of Mount Vesuvius After Pietro Fabris’ (fl. 1740–1792) Illustrations for William Hamilton’s “Campi Phlegraei” (1776–79)

Research:
Watercolor on paper. 

These pendant watercolors depict Mount Vesuvius, located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, during its eruption between August 8^th and 9^th in the year 1779, and are executed after colored etchings made by the painter Pietro Fabris (fl. 1740–92) as illustrations for Sir William Hamilton’s Campi Phlegraei (1776–79).

This famed volcano captured the attention and imagination in the arts and sciences for centuries and was particularly potent during the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century. Real and fictive scenes of ancient and modern Italy were popular with Grand Tourists, who returned home to decorate their residences in a style reflecting the romance of the classical world, and Vesuvius became one of the most depicted subjects. 

Full research report available on request.