Temple of Isis at Pompeii, Kingdom of Naples, c 1767.

Hand-coloured etching by Peter Fabris (active 1768-1779) and taken from William Hamilton's study of Italian volcanoes, 'Campi Phlegraei' (published in Naples, 1776). Image shows the temple being cleared of the volcanic matter from Mount Vesuvius which buried Pompeii in 79AD. Based on letters to the Royal Society in London, Hamilton's book is both a seminal work on the nature and effects of volcanic explosions and a more precice study of volcanoes than had previously existed.