Abhandlung über Obstbäume Taf.52
Henri-Louis Duhamel du Monceau
1768
This charming 18th-century botanical plate breaks down the 'Apy' apple into its scientific components, acting like a visual encyclopedia for fruit lovers. At the top, delicate pink blossoms and a leafy branch with budding fruit show the plant's lifecycle, while the bottom reveals the mature fruit in red and yellow hues, complete with a cross-section exposing the star-shaped seed core. Created by Henri-Louis Duhamel du Monceau for his massive treatise on fruit trees, this engraving was essential for farmers and botanists to identify exact species long before photography existed. The fine hatching lines give the fruit a wonderful texture, making you almost want to reach out and take a bite of that crisp, red-skinned apple.
- Technique
- Hand-colored engraving