"The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius", painted in 1777 by Pierre-Jacques Volaire, is one of the principal European paintings to depict the eighteenth-century fascination with Vesuvius. This painting speaks to many of the issues of the period, including the Grand Tour, scientific curiosity, knowledge in the Age of Enlightenment, and the dramatic and destructive nature of Vesuvius during the eighteenth century. As the most meaningful work of the subject by the preeminent painter of Vesuvius’ eruptions, this is surely the finest painting of its kind in the United States. The Volaire, which is owned by the North Carolina Museum of Art, will travel to the Birmingham and Houston venues to accompany the exhibit "Pompeii: Tales from an Eruption".
The spectacular painting, on view in the galleries of the Birmingham Museum of Art from October 2007 through January 2008, serves as a link to supplemental small exhibitions drawn from the permanent collections-- most notably the museum’s fine collection of Wedgwood, its Sir William Hamilton folios and John Flaxman drawings-- as well as several Greek vases from the collections of the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University which are typical of the work that inspired these English masters.
NCMA 82.1, Purchased with funds from the Alcy C. Kendrick Bequest and from the State of North Carolina, by exchange
