Art Funded by you

Vesuvius in Eruption with a View over the Islands in the Bay of Naples

Joseph Wright of Derby, 1776–1780

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.

More information

Title of artwork, date

Vesuvius in Eruption with a View over the Islands in the Bay of Naples, 1776–1780

Date supported

1992

Medium and material

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

122 x 176 cm

Grant

75000

Total cost

950000

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