Last Glimpse of Vesuvius
Medium
seascapes
Classification
seascapes
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Arnold W. Brunner
Accession Number
1948-47-285
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Last Glimpse of Vesuvi** ca. 1881 Arnold William Brunner (American, 1857–1925) Arnold William Brunner, a prominent American artist and architect active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the dramatic silhouette of Mount Vesuvius this evocative seascape around 1881. Painted during a period when American travelers embraced the Grand Tour of Europe, the work likely depicts a poignant farewell view of the iconic volcano from the Bay of Naples, as a ship sails away. Vesuvius, infamous for its catastrophic 79 CE eruption that buried Pompeii and Herculaneum, symbolized both natural w...