Sagus, Pl. 771 — Encyclopédie Méthodique

The sago palm Sagus, a vital food source across Southeast Asia, rendered by Henri Joseph Redouté with the commanding draughtsmanship the Redouté name demands.

After Henri Joseph Redouté; engraved by Robert Bénard. Botanique, Plate 771, from the Encyclopédie Méthodique. Published in Paris, c. 1795.

The Encyclopédie Méthodique expanded upon Diderot and d'Alembert's original Encyclopédie, reorganising knowledge into subject-specific dictionaries with thousands of newly commissioned plates. Henri Joseph Redouté contributed numerous botanical drawings to the project, bringing the observational acuity that distinguished the wider Redouté family of natural-history artists.

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