Vesuvius Erupting at Night
- William Marlow, English, 1740-1813
- Born: London, England
- Work Locations: England, France, Italy
- Active Years: -1883
William Marlow, Vesuvius Erupting at Night, 1768. Oil paint on canvas; 35 1/2 × 49 in. (90.2 × 124.5 cm). Gift of the Berger Collection Educational Trust, 2019.17
Born in London, William Marlow is best known for his views of his native city and the River Thames. Following a sojourn in Italy, during which he witnessed the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the volcano outside Naples whose eruption destroyed the city of Pompeii in A.D. 79, he painted the Berger picture, the first by a British artist to represent the subject. He exhibited the painting at the Society of Artists exhibition in London in 1768, prompting this rapturous response from a reviewer: “A dreadful scene! but so elegant is the execution . . . that while we look with pleasure on its beauties, we cannot help getting into the belief that we are indeed on the spot, and really beholding an eruption of that terrible volcano.”
- “Treasures from the Berger Collection: British Paintings 1400-2000” — Denver Art Museum, 10/2/2014 – 9/9/2018
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