Joseph Wright of Derby, 1734–1797, British, active in Italy (1773–75)
Title:
Vesuvius from Posillipo
Date:
ca. 1788
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on panel
Dimensions:
25 x 33 inches (63.5 x 83.8 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1974.3.34
Gallery Label:
Joseph Wright of Derby first visited Naples in 1774–75 and made most of his sketches of Mount Vesuvius at that time. He never witnessed an actual eruption, but the idea of the sublime spectacle had a considerable impact on his imagination. The subject proved especially popular with his patrons. In the following years he painted about twentyseven different versions of the volcano in eruption. In this version we see Vesuvius from Posillipo, a suburb of Naples where Britain’s ambassador to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Sir William Hamilton, kept the Villa Emma, a small retreat dedicated to his celebrated wife, Emma Hamilton. The artist’s account book indicates the intended owner of this version was Sir Robert Wilmot, second Baronet of Osmaston, a Derbyshire landowner who paid Wright £42 for the picture.\n\n Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016
