An 18th century illustration of Etna erupting

An early illustration of the scientific observations of a volcano erupting. Three men, probably including Lazzaro Spallanzani, stand on a ledge above a crater, with lava flowing down the opposite side. In 1788 Spallanzani (1729-99), an Italian priest and palaeontologist, visited Vesuvius, Etna and Stomboli with a draughtsman to record his observations. According to Spallanzani, these sketches were then 'retouched and greatly improved by Sig. Francesco Lanfranchi, an eminent painter in the University of Pavia', before being engraved by Faustino Anderloni for Spallanzani's six-volume ''Viaggio alle due Sicilie e in alcune parti dell'Appennino''.