An Eruption of Vesuvius by Moonlight

Image credit: Compton Verney

How you can use this image

This image can be used for non-commercial research or private study purposes, and other UK exceptions to copyright permitted to users based in the United Kingdom under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised. Any other type of use will need to be cleared with the rights holder(s).

Review the copyright credit lines that are located underneath the image, as these indicate who manages the copyright (©) within the artwork, and the photographic rights within the image.

The collection that owns the artwork may have more information on their own website about permitted uses and image licensing options.

Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

The eruptions of Vesuvius were among the greatest spectacles of the eighteenth century and fired the imagination of artists throughout Europe. The gentleman with a rolled map and crossed legs on the left could be William Hamilton or perhaps the artist himself. Volaire is documented as visiting Vesuvius in 1774, and an inscription on the reverse of this canvas records that it was painted sur le lieu(on the spot). Given the size of the painting this is probably not true, but it conveys the important role that artists played in recording such sights before the invention of the camera.

Compton Verney

Compton Verney

Title

An Eruption of Vesuvius by Moonlight

Date

1774

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

H 130 x W 260 cm

Accession number

CVCSC : 0259.S

Acquisition method

purchased, 1999

Work type

Painting

Inscription description

painted : title, artist and date : Eruption de Mont Vesuve/.../sur le lieu par le Che. Volaire/1774

Normally on display at

Compton Verney

Compton Verney, Warwickshire CV35 9HZ England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
View venue