Lot 81 Dα

The present work follows a composition painted in 1820 by Johann Christian Clausen Dahl which the artist carried out in various sizes. The earliest version is kept in the Statens Museum in Copenhagen (dated 1820), the largest and latest version can be found in the Städel Museum in Frankfurt (dated 1826). We know from Dahl's diary entries that he witnessed the eruption of Vesuvius in December 1820. Many artists captured this scene in their works, primarily the French painter Jacques Volaire.