La Seconde Vie De Pompéi Renaissance De L'antique, Des Lumières Au Romantisme 1738-1860

In 1748, teams of engineers carrying out archaeological excavations for the King of Naples discovered the remains of the ancient city of Pompeii, preserved since the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD by a thick layer of ash and volcanic material. The eyes of the whole of Europe then turned to Naples and Campania. In the midst of the Romantic era, the ancient city - and especially its last days - was given a new lease of life in the European imagination.

This book examines the consequences of the discovery of the archaeological site of Pompeii in the literary, theatrical, musical, pictorial, sculptural, drawing and engraving productions of the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe.