The Last Days of Pompeii
James Hamilton
American Art
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E. and subsequent devastation of Pompeii (in present-day Italy) was a popular and fascinating narrative in the mid-eighteenth century, particularly among Romantic painters on both sides of the Atlantic. At that time the volcano began a sustained period of renewed activity. Simultaneously, archaeologists began excavations of the ancient buried city.
This cataclysmic theme, which lends itself to ruminations on the cyclical nature of societies and civilizations, continued to appeal to artists in the mid-nineteenth century.
This cataclysmic theme, which lends itself to ruminations on the cyclical nature of societies and civilizations, continued to appeal to artists in the mid-nineteenth century.
MEDIUM
Oil on canvas
DATES
1864
DIMENSIONS
59 15/16 x 48 1/16 in. (152.2 x 122 cm)
frame: 69 1/2 x 57 1/2 x 4 in., 96 lb. (176.5 x 146.1 x 10.2 cm, 43.55kg) (show scale)
INSCRIPTIONS
Inscribed verso: "From Bulwers/ "The Last Days of Pompeii'/ Jas Hamilton/ Philada 1864"
COLLECTIONS
American Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
55.138
CREDIT LINE
Dick S. Ramsay Fund
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
James Hamilton (American, 1819–1878). The Last Days of Pompeii, 1864. Oil on canvas, 59 15/16 x 48 1/16 in. (152.2 x 122 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 55.138 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 55.138_SL3.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 55.138_SL3.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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