Fan Design with Views of Mount Vesuvius and the Tomb of Virgil

A new genre of fans developed in Italy in the late eighteenth century to appeal to travelers undertaking the Grand Tour. Naples was a major center of production for these hand-painted fans, which frequently featured Mount Vesuvius—particularly active during this period—as a primary subject. Here, a dramatic nighttime view across the bay shows the 1779 eruption. It is flanked by calmer daylit scenes of the smoldering volcano and Virgil’s tomb. Early tourists often purchased unmounted fan leaves, probably with the intention of affixing them to sticks upon their return home; however, some never did so, as in this case.