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schema:abstract
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"«The Abbé Jean Claude Richard de Saint-Non was an important and passionate eighteenth century French amateur and patron of fine arts. As a friend and benefactor to artists, Saint-Non contributed much to the progress of design and engraving in France. Having travelled to Italy in 1759 where he began a strong and enduring friendship with Jean-Honoré Fragonnard and Hubert Robert, Saint-Non decided in 1777 to plan a very ambitious publication, a voyage pittoresque of his travels in the southern parts of Italy. The enterprise was beyond the means of a single person, and several other wealthy amateurs aided him in its funding. Saint-Non’s travels to Italy had occurred almost twenty years previously. It was necessary to provide many new illustrations for this ambitious project, as well as information about such recent important events as the eruption of the Vesuvius and the new finds of the excavations at Pompeii. An expedition through the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily was undertaken by a group of young artists, mainly from the French Academy in Rome. Under the leadership of Vivant Denon, their attaché to the French mission in Naples and later a member of Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign, their intention was to produce additional illustrations of views and monuments... The large portion of the text of the first two volumes is by Denon, who contributed material to the history, art, literature, natural phenomena, and customs of the people. Among the artists whose designs contributed to the success of volume 1 were Fragonnard and Robert, whose work figured extensively in this volume. Robert would also contribute to volumes 2 and 3» (Millard)."@nl
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