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1775. It was bought by John Leigh Phillips, who already owned a
number of Wright's paintings. The second version, Vesuvius in
Eruption with a View over the Islands in the Bay of Naples , was
painted a year or two later. A third canvas was exhibited in 1778
and bought immediately by Catherine the Great of Russia,
while a fourth remained in the artist's collection and was offered
for sale after his death. All reveal how Wright stalked the
mountain from points around its base, showing glimpses of the
Sorrento peninsula, the mole and lighthouse in Naples harbour,
and the bay itself.
Thomas Jones had more luck with the timing of his visit to
Naples. In his first sight of the city in September 1778 he saw
'Mount Vesuvius at a distance belching forth Volumes of Smoke,
which formed a long streak of a Cloud as far as the Eye could
reach.'ยน5 A day or two later he climbed the mountain, where he
saw the lava which
Joseph Wright of Derby,
Vesuvius in Eruption
with a View over the
Islands and Bay of
Naples , c. 1774-6,
oil on canvas.
 
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