I purchased this in 1974 from an antique store owner who was a customer of mine back then. Now it is time to say goodbye to this old friend.

　　I paid $450 for it back in 74. The frame alone is a work of art. Solid hand carved oak the frame measures 4' x 3' and you can see the how well the etching fits inside.

　　This etching depicts an Italian family life just as the mountain starts to erupt in the background. Fine detail that needs to be seen to be appreciated.

　　The following is taken from wikipedia:

　　Mount Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in AD 79 that led to the burying and destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and several other settlements. That eruption ejected a cloud of stones, ash and fumes to a height of 33 km (20.5 mi), spewing molten rock and pulverized pumice at the rate of 1.5 million tons per second, ultimately releasing a hundred thousand times the thermal energy released by the Hiroshima bombing.[1] An estimated 16,000 people died due to hydrothermal pyroclastic flows.[2] The only surviving eyewitness account of the event consists of two letters by Pliny the Younger to the historian Tacitus.[3]

　　Vesuvius has erupted many times since and is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years. Today, it is regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the population of 3,000,000 people living nearby and its tendency towards explosive (Plinian) eruptions. It is the most densely populated volcanic region in the world.[4]

　　$4,500 OBO

　　Please see my other ads as we are moving overseas.

　　tags: etch art, art prints, fine art prints, fine art print, paintings, oil painting, art paintings, etching painting, etching x, etching, etchings, art, artist, etcher, antique art, french antiques, antique pictures, antique wood, european antiques, furniture, antiques and collectibles, antique furniture, antique painting, antique shop, antique shops