© Tate
Vesuvius in Eruption with a View over the Islands in the Bay of Naples
Artist: Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 - 1797)
Location: Tate
Date: 1776 - 1780
Materials: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 122 x 176 cm
Grant:
Amount Paid: £75,000 (Total: £950,000; tax remission)
Vendor: Viscount Dunluce
Review number: 3650 (1992)
Provenance:
Earls of Antrim; by descent to Lord Dunluce.
Description:
Wright embarked for Italy in 1773 and was greatly inspired by Vesuvius. In this work the entire cone of the volcano is red-hot; from an appallingly glorious vortex above it, an uncontrollable force of molten gold is shot like a rocket into the night sky. Wright contrasts the colours of the eruption with the moonlit water of the Bay of Naples, from which rise the dark shapes of the islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida.
There are no comments on this artwork
To add comments please login or register.
The Art Fund may edit your comments and not all comments will be published. The Art Fund cannot be help responsible for views expressed by visitors of this website.