Oil on canvas, 39cm by 69cm.
“The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1767” appears in the 9th Earl of Exeter’s distinctive hand on the reverse of the painting and a later addition to the 1763 Inventory records: “Breakfast room …..a picture of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 1767 by Fabris.”
Fabris is best known for his work for the diplomat and amateur geologist Sir William Hamilton, who commissioned the artist to accompany him to visually record his visits to the volcanic sites of Mounts Etna and Vesuvius and the island of Lipari near Sicily.
