Pietro Fabris

The English artist Pietro Fabris, who was of Italian origin, is considered the first painter of the 18th century to use gouache as a painting material for his works. Fabris spent most of his life in Naples. There he mainly painted landscapes and genre paintings, which were particularly popular with the wealthy European social class. The talented painter was the favourite artist of the British Consul in Naples, Sir William Hamilton. He commissioned Fabris to accompany him on his travels to study volcanoes. The hobby geologist wanted to publish a book about the volcanic area around Vesuvius, Etna and Stromboli. The rich Englishman granted financial support to his talented artist friend. In return, Hamilton created several dozen illustrations for his patron. These Goauche paintings are Fabris' most famous works. Fabris captured contemporary volcanic activity for eternity in numerous engravings. The team produced another book together, also about volcanoes in Europe.