The Legacy of Vesuvius: Bourbon Discoveries on the Bay of Naples

Featuring a unique combination of classical archaeological finds and the art they influenced in the modern age, this sumptuously illustrated book offers a fascinating glimpse into the art of the Spanish Bourbon Court in Naples, Italy during the eighteenth century. Ancient sculptures and frescoes from Pompeii and Herculaneum and other archaeological finds discovered at the foot of Mount Vesuvius helped shape the artistic expression in Europe including landscape paintings, sculpture, ceramics, furniture and portraits of the most influential men and women tied to the court and its activities. These include images of the Bourbon royal family, but also detailed landscapes and cityscapes giving a glimpse into Naples at the time. Ancient sculptures and frescoes from the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum, the villas at Stabiae and Cicero and the Temple of Isis at Pompeii are examined in an accessible text alongside the art by well-known eighteenth-century artists they influenced.