Panax, Scopolia and Breynia, Pl. 860 — Encyclopédie Méthodique

A meticulously hand-coloured engraving depicting three distinct genera — Panax, Scopolia and Breynia — united on a single densely composed plate.

After J. E. de Sève; engraved by Robert Bénard. Encyclopédie Méthodique, Botanique, Plate 860. Published in Paris, 1793.

The Encyclopédie Méthodique was an ambitious expansion of Diderot and d'Alembert's original Encyclopédie, featuring new, detailed illustrations commissioned from leading natural history artists and engravers. Plates featuring multiple genera, such as this one, allowed the publication to document the vast diversity of the plant kingdom within its already extensive programme of illustration.

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