Vesuvius in Eruption, Joseph Wright of Derby

Joseph Wright (1734-1797) was an English painter notable for his use of tenebrism, an exaggerated form of the chiaroscuro effect. Between 1773 and 1775 he travelled through Europe, with Italy as his destination. He lived in Naples but did not witness any major eruptions, although he may have observed some minor ones.
He subsequently painted around thirty views of Vesuvius in eruption. The best known of these are Vesuvius from Portici, Vesuvius in Eruption, with a View over the Islands in the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius from Posillipo.