Treatise on Fruit Trees Pl.29
Henri-Louis Duhamel du Monceau
1768
This exquisite 18th-century botanical plate showcases the 'Figue Blanche' or White Fig, featuring a leafy branch dotted with small fruits and a large, detailed specimen resting at the bottom left. Although part of Henri-Louis Duhamel du Monceau's famous treatise on fruit trees, the drawing was actually created by Madeleine Basseporte, a pioneering female artist and the official painter of plants for the French King. Her incredible attention to the veined leaves and textured skin of the fruit was so renowned that she taught botanical drawing to Marie Antoinette. This hand-colored engraving captures the scientific beauty of nature long before photography took over.
- Technique
- Hand-colored engraving