The Periwinkle of Java, from Collection of Usual, Curious, and Foreign Plants

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Gautier D’Agoty cited the Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus as the source of his classification of plants in this volume. The printmaker had branched out from his usual subject of anatomy, and his coloring lacks some of his characteristic vibrancy. While there are areas of color added with a roulette (the tool used to create even patches of soft color in a mezzotint), the stippled background and etched detail predominate. The letterpress text describing this particular specimen has been pasted below the image. Gautier described himself on the title page as the “Pensioned Botanist & Anatomist of the King,” praising the French monarch Louis XV for his support of the sciences.

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