Chionanthus and Pimelea, Pl. 9 — Encyclopédie Méthodique

A meticulously hand-coloured engraving depicting two distinct genera, Chionanthus (fringe tree) and Pimelea, paired on a single elegant plate.

After J. E. de Sève; engraved by Robert Bénard. Encyclopédie Méthodique, Botanique, Plate 9. Published in Paris, 1793.

The Encyclopédie Méthodique expanded upon Diderot and d'Alembert's original Encyclopédie, commissioning fresh illustrations from leading natural history draughtsmen like de Sève. This early plate from the Botanique section exemplifies the project's systematic approach to classification, pairing genera that shared morphological features of interest to eighteenth-century taxonomists.

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