French painter Pierre-Jacques Volaire was a French artist who made a career in Italy as a souvenir artist. He created paintings for english travelers on the Grand Tour. Volaire painted more than thirty scenes of Mt. Vesuvius, a popular natural attraction on the continent because it erupted periodically.
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. Vernet was in France painting a series of seascapes for King Louis XV, 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. After serving under Vernet, Volaire left France for Rome in 1764, bringing with him his talents in landscape and seascape painting. He settled in Naples in 1769 where he lived until he died in 1799 or 1802. There is little else known about Volaire's personal life.
