The Art: Alessandro Gherardini (Italian, 1655 – 1723), The Forge of Vulcan, c. 1688 – 1689, oil on canvas. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick Guernsey. AG.1972.15.1. Alessandro Gherardini spent most of his career in Florence, completing commissions to decorate numerous churches and the interiors of well-known villas and palazzi. He traveled extensively and his paintings show the influence of the major artists working in the areas he visited. The Forge of Vulcan illustrates the god of fire and his Cyclops helpers as they create a breastplate for Aeneas.