Stilbe, Pl. 856 — Encyclopédie Méthodique

A delicate rendering of Stilbe, a genus of heathland shrubs native to the Cape of Good Hope, whose slender flower spikes and whorled leaves are captured with characteristic precision.

After J. E. de Sève; engraved by Robert Bénard. Botanique, Plate 856, from the Encyclopédie Méthodique. Published in Paris, c. 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, documented many Cape flora species then newly introduced to European science.

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