Daphne, Pl. 290 — Encyclopédie Méthodique

The spurge-laurel Daphne, a European woodland shrub prized for its fragrant winter flowers, depicted with the fine detail that characterises the best plates in this series.

After Fossier; engraved by Robert Bénard. Botanique, Plate 290, from the Encyclopédie Méthodique. Published in Paris, 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. Its Botanique section, overseen by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, remains a landmark of Enlightenment-era plant taxonomy and scientific illustration.

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