After Richard Wilson RA and here engraved by W. J. C. Bentley
Steel engraved for The Art Journal, London Published by Virtue & Co
Overall good condition, some age tone marks to boarders
On heavy paper and blank to Verso
Approx Sheet size: 12" x 9" (300mm x 230mm)
Richard Wilson visited Lake Avernus to the north of Naples in 1752 and again in the spring of 1753 with his patron William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth (1731-1801). As a result of these visits he painted two pictures of the area.
Lake Avernus lies in a volcanic region on the south-west coast of Italy, between Naples and Cumae. According to classical mythology the area, known as the Phlegraean Fields ('burning fields'), was associated with the Infernal Regions. Because of its location among dark, gloomy woods, and its reputed depth, Avernus was supposed to have been an entrance to the underworld.