The Legacy of Vesuvius: Bourbon Discoveries on the Bay of Naples exhibition catalogue is a truly diverse collection of arts and culture from the Spanish Bourbon Court in Naples, Italy. This catalogue stands at the intersection of classical archaeological finds and the art inspired by them. Including sculptures and frescoes from the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum, culturally significant material from the Temple of Isis at Pompeii, works from eighteenth-century artists, including Angelica Kauffman, Anton Rafael Mengs and Antonio Joli, and important essays by experts in the fields above.
The exhibition catalogue for The Legacy of Vesuvius: Bourbon Discoveries on the Bay of Naples is the pride of the Custard Institute! Edited by Dr. Michael L. Thomas, curator of the exhibition and director of Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History at UTD, it contains beautiful essays from Custard Institute Post-doctoral Fellow Dr. Agnieszka Ficek and Mark A. Roglán Director Dr. P. Gregory Warden about two of their research specialties, porcelain production and ancient Greek and Roman influence, respectively.
The catalogue also includes contributions from Dr. Eric M. Moorman (“From Secrecy to the Grand Tour: The Revelation of Eighteenth-Century Bourbon Excavations on the Bay of Naples”), who provides an historiographical account of the dissemination of Bourbon archaeological discoveries; Dr. Robin L. Thomas (“Displaying the Ancient World in the Royal Palaces of Naples”), who documents the display of antiquities within Bourbon palaces; and Dr. Carmine Romano (“The Naples of the Bourbons: Some Historical Background and Reflections”), whose essay offers a glimpse into the artistic patronage of the court. We are especially grateful to the KHR McNeely Family Fund for underwriting this important publication through the Custard Institute.
Written by Heather Bowling, Coordinator of Academic Programs, Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History at The University of Texas at Dallas
