Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples from a Cave

Created 1820

Curatorial Overview

“Adolf von Heydeck worked in Rome and later traveled south to Naples. This drawing presents that city’s most distinctive attraction: Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano that appears against an otherwise calm sky. Von Heydeck portrayed the scene from within a cave interior, contrasting the potentially overwhelming force of nature with the illusion of protection offered by distance and enclosed space.”

Mediumwatercolor with graphite; framing lines in pen and black ink

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OriginGermany, 19th century

InstitutionThe Cleveland Museum of Art

Accession No.1968.69

Credit LineGift of the John B. Putnam Foundation

View Museum Archive Record

Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of Adolf von Heydeck (German, 1787–1856)

Drawings • Germany, 19th century • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries

Continuous Discovery