Joseph Wright of Derby, A.R.A. 1734-1797

Wright spent about a month in Naples from early October to early November 1774.  Whilst he was there, he climbed Mount Vesuvius and witnessed lava pouring down the side of the mountain.  The expedition reminded him of his Derby friend John Whitehurst, a geologist.  As he wrote to his brother on 11th November that year: "I wished for his company when on Mount Vesuvius, his thoughts would have been center'd in the bowels of the mountain, mine skimmed over the surface only; there was a very considerable eruption at the time, of which I am going to make a picture. Tis the most wonderful sight in nature....".  In fact Wright made over thirty pictures of this 'wonderful sight', some on a large scale and some, as with these pictures on a small scale.  Wright did not in fact witness a spectacular eruption (the last had been in 1767 and it did not happen again until 1779).  However he would certainly have witnessed small eruptions.  Sir William Hamilton reported, "Since the eruption of 1767......Vesuvius has never been free from smoke, nor ever many months without throwing up red-hot SCORIAE.......usually follow'd by a current of liquid Lava......No less than nine such Eruptions are recorded here since the great one above mention'd and some of them were considerable".