“The Legacy of Vesuvius: Bourbon Discoveries on the Bay of Naples” exhibit, which is on display through Jan. 5, features portraits by Francesco Liani of Kings Charles VII and Ferdinand IV of Naples as well as Maria Amalia of Saxony, who was the queen of Spain. (Photo credit: Paul Bardagjy)
A new art exhibition, “The Legacy of Vesuvius: Bourbon Discoveries on the Bay of Naples,” featuring Roman artwork, artifacts and antiquities curated by University of Texas at Dallas professor Dr. Michael Thomas invites guests to not only gaze at the pieces themselves, but also to peer into the environment in which they were discovered and excavated.
Thomas, director of the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History and the Richard R. Brettell Distinguished University Chair, worked in partnership with Southern Methodist University’s (SMU) Meadows Museum on the collection.
The exhibit contains artifacts, such as a fresco, a musical instrument and a bronze gladiator helmet, that were unearthed under the reign of the Bourbon kings of Spain during the latter half of the 18th century. The Bourbons financed excavations at the Roman sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and many of these pieces are making their first appearance in the United States. Exhibited alongside the ancient artifacts are 18th-century examples of fine and decorative arts that demonstrate how the mystique of Mount Vesuvius shaped elite and popular taste.
“When seeing these pieces, I wanted people to have the same epiphany as if they were seeing them in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples,” Thomas said. “It was important that this exhibit capture the dialogue Kings Charles VII and Ferdinand IV of Naples were having with the past.”
Thomas wanted the exhibit to communicate how dynamic the region of Naples was during this time and how its energy directly shaped the lives of the people, he said. Every detail was considered, from the galleries’ layout to the smoke-black paint coloring the walls.
“When someone walks through the exhibit, I wanted them to experience the pieces as if they were jumping out at them,” Thomas said. “There are images of the tunnels that they were excavating. I just imagined they were going through them with candles or oil lamps, and suddenly a wall with a 2,000-year-old fresco would pop out. I want visitors to think about the 18th-century excavator who saw that fresco for the first time.”
For Thomas, each piece of art lives a life that survives its original owner, and conveying that journey was crucial.
“There is a piece of wall that a Roman lived with in their house,” Thomas said. “It sat undiscovered for 1,800 years, was excavated and put in a royal palace. It became a part of a collection at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, and now, it’s on a museum wall in Dallas, Texas.”
Thomas also hopes visitors feel a connection with the artworks and artifacts on display.
“When someone walks through the exhibit, I wanted them to experience the pieces as if they were jumping out at them. There are images of the tunnels that they were excavating. I just imagined they were going through them with candles or oil lamps, and suddenly a wall with a 2,000-year-old fresco would pop out. I want visitors to think about the 18th-century excavator who saw that fresco for the first time.”
Dr. Michael Thomas, director of the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History
“As academics, we sometimes sit on our pedestals and think about our own research — how important it is to us and to other people in the field — but it’s often inaccessible,” Thomas said. “I like the idea that someone can walk into a museum, look at a piece of art and learn something.”
Thomas said it’s his passion for teaching that keeps him excited about archaeology and art history. Once a week, he teaches a seminar for students from UT Dallas and SMU. Not only do they study the history of pieces from the exhibit, but they also learn the process of bringing an exhibition to life.
“They’re figuring out everything from creating budgets and loan agreements with museums to writing museum labels and the text that goes on the walls,” Thomas said.
It’s a teaching model he hopes to replicate at UTD.
In celebration of the collaboration between UTD and SMU, all university students will receive complimentary admission to the Meadows Museum through Jan. 5. Online purchasers should select the “non-SMU student” ticket type and present their student IDs upon check-in at the box office. Located in Dallas at 5900 Bishop Blvd., the museum is open Tuesday through Sunday.