An 18th century illustration of the volcano Stromboli erupting.

An early illustration of the scientific observations of a volcano erupting. A man, probably Lazzaro Spallanzani, stands above the flow of lava, with the fissures emitting gases marked. 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''.