Eruption of Vesuvius, August 8, 1779

Printmaker Louis Boily French

1779

Not on view

This print, etched by Louis Boily after a work by Pierre Jacques Volaire, was made as an illustration to Michele Torcia’s Relazione dell’ultima eruzione des Vesuvio accaduta nel mese di Agosto di quest’anno 1779, published in Naples in 1779. From a family of printmakers, Boily was born in Paris in 1735 and studied with Simon Lempereur. He lived in Naples from about 1766 to 1789 where he would have known Volaire, a successful painter who met the demand of visitors on the Grand Tour who wanted views of Naples, especially dramatic views of Vesuvius erupting.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Eruption of Vesuvius, August 8, 1779
Printmaker: Louis Boily (French, born 1735)
Artist: after Pierre Jacques Volaire (French, Toulon 1729–1799 Naples)
Date: 1779
Medium: Etching
Dimensions: Plate: 11 × 7 1/4 in. (28 × 18.4 cm)
Sheet: 11 1/4 × 7 3/8 in. (28.5 × 18.7 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Joel Kaye, in memory of Leo Lerman and Gray Foy, 2013
Object Number: 2013.1000
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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