A team of engineers at the University of Melbourne in Australia have brought to life a unique piece of art depicting a cataclysmic eruption of Italy’s Mount Vesuvius. The 250-year-old artwork fuses art with engineering to simulate a volcanic eruption on the famed mountain during the 18th century. Hamilton observed Mount Vesuvius eruptions in 1767, 1779, and 1794, carefully noting changes to the 4,000-feet high crater. Hamilton is believed to have climbed Mount Vesuvius more than 65 times, even after a friend was severely burned by volcanic rock. [ Related: Mount Vesuvius eruption turned a victim’s brain into glass. ]