Pierre-Jacques Volaire

Pierre-Jacques Volaire (1729 – 1799/1802?) was a French painter.

Also referred to as le chevalier Volaire (the knight Volaire), he was born in Toulon as the son of the official city painter and writer. Volaire's art career started when he became the pupil of Claude-Joseph Vernet in 1754, where he served as Vernet's assistant for eight years. which resulted in his Views of the Ports of France series (1754–1765). Despite his connections to Vernet, Volaire's exact artistic role in the series is uncertain. many of which are now housed in museums around the world. These paintings were inspired by Volaire's many visits to the summit of Vesuvius, which was particularly active during the second half of the eighteenth century. thumb Eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, 1777, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina, 82.1Volaire's Vesuvius paintings were typically commissioned by tourists on the Grand Tour, who sought to commemorate their visit to the volcano. Bergeret de Grancourt wrote of Volaire when he visited Vesuvius on 23 April 1774, “I was with a painter named M. Volaire [Pierre-Jacques Volaire] who succeeded superbly in rendering the horror of Vesuvius, of which I will bring back a painting”. It is unknown what happened to de Grancourt's painting.

Over the course of thirty years Volaire witnessed at least two major eruptions of Vesuvius, including the one in 1779 and 1794. Wright likely never witnessed a major eruption of Vesuvius in his short time in Naples (October 1774), so he took inspiration from the likes of Volaire's paintings.