The Eruption of Vesuvius in December 1820, 1826

Dimensions: 128.0 x 172.0 cm

Physical Description: Oil on canvas

Inventory Number: 1825

Acquisition: Acquired in 1928

Status: On display, 1st upper level, Modern Art, room 2

Texts

About the Work

In all their massive immediacy, the Earth’s primordial forces pour forth in glowing hot lava. The Norwegian landscapist Dahl, professor at the Dresden Kunstakademie (Academy of Fine Arts) and a close friend of Caspar David Friedrich, witnessed this natural spectacle during a stay in Naples in 1820/21. Fascinated, he climbed the volcano several times to make sketches, which later served as the basis for a number of oil paintings. For visitors to Naples, the ascent of Mount Vesuvius had represented the culmination of their educational tour of the South since the early eighteenth century.

Audio & Video

Basic information

00:48
Focus on cultural history

01:41

KunstIStück – Johann Christian Clausen Dahl: Der Ausbruch des Vesuv im Dezember 1820

Sammlungshighlights des Städel Museums in unterhaltsamen und informativen Filmen – das sind die Kunst|Stücke. Entdecken Sie spannende Details zu Kunstwerken aus ungewöhnlichen Blickwinkeln in unter zwei Minuten. Johann Christian Clausen Dahl: Der Ausbruch des Vesuv im Dezember 1820 (1826), Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main. https://sammlung.staedelmuseum.de/de/werk/der-ausbruch-des-vesuv-im-dezember-1820#yt

Work Data

Basic Information

Title: The Eruption of Vesuvius in December 1820

Painter

Johan Christian Clausen Dahl

Period Produced

19th century

School

romanticism

Object Type

painting (artwork)

Physical Description: Oil on canvas

Material

canvas

Technique

Label at the Time of Manufacture: Signiert und datiert unten rechts: JDahl 1826. (JD ligiert)

Property and Acquisition

Institution

Städel Museum

Departement

Modern Art 1800–1945

Collection

Städelsches Kunstinstitut

Creditline: Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

Picture Copyright: Public Domain

Acquisition: Acquired in 1928

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre

landscape

Main Motif

Associated Persons and Institutions

Caspar David Friedrich

Iconclass

Primary

25C11 eruption (of volcano)
61D(VESUVIO) geographical names of countries, regions, mountains, rivers, etc. (VESUVIO) (VESUVIO)
61A(1820.12) historical events and situations (1820.12)
61E(NAPOLI) names of cities and villages (NAPOLI)
61D(ITALIA) geographical names of countries, regions, mountains, rivers, etc. (ITALIA) (ITALIA)
25H landscapes