Scorzonera, Pl. 647 — Encyclopédie Méthodique

The black salsify Scorzonera, a root vegetable cultivated since the sixteenth century, depicted with the careful dissections that define this botanical series.

After Maréchal; engraved by Robert Bénard. Botanique, Plate 647, 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. Excellent.