Cecropia, Pl. 800 — Encyclopédie Méthodique

A vibrant hand-coloured engraving of Cecropia, the tropical trumpet tree, its bold palmate leaves depicted with characteristic botanical precision.

After J. E. de Sève; engraved by Robert Bénard. Encyclopédie Méthodique, Botanique, Plate 800. Published in Paris, 1793.

The Encyclopédie Méthodique was an ambitious expansion of Diderot and d'Alembert's original Encyclopédie, commissioning fresh illustrations from leading natural history draughtsmen. The Botanique volumes documented hundreds of exotic genera newly arriving in European collections, reflecting the era's expanding knowledge of tropical flora.

Hand-coloured copperplate engraving. Sheet size approximately 29.7 × 21.6 cm. Very Good.