Artocarpus (Jaquier), Pl. 744 — Encyclopédie Méthodique

The jackfruit Artocarpus, the largest tree-borne fruit in the world, depicted with particular attention to its massive compound fruit and distinctive leaf forms.

After J. E. de Sève; engraved by Robert Bénard. Botanique, Plate 744, from the Encyclopédie Méthodique. Published in Paris, c. 1793.

The Encyclopédie Méthodique expanded upon Diderot and d'Alembert's original Encyclopédie, reorganising knowledge into subject-specific dictionaries with thousands of newly commissioned plates. The depiction of tropical economic plants such as the jackfruit reflected the growing European interest in colonial botany and the potential of newly discovered species.

Copperplate engraving on laid paper, approximately 29.7 × 21.6 cm. Excellent.