Bandaged Figure, Forceps and Plasters, Diderot Chirurgie Plate XXX, circa 1772

About this sheet

This is an original antique copper engraving, uncolored, with eleven numbered figures. Fig. 1 is a standing nude male figure on a strip of ground, fitted with dressings at the head, neck, chest, arms, groin, knee and ankle, the dressings marked with the reference letters a to g. Fig. 2 is an angled forceps with ring handles and long serrated jaws, Fig. 3 a forceps with serrated tips and a sliding catch on the handles, and Fig. 4 a long forceps with ring handles and ball ends. Fig. 5, Fig. 6, Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 are shaped plasters drawn flat on hatched panels, cut in hourglass, double and cross forms. Fig. 9, Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 are small panels showing needles and tied threads across a line.

The plate number "Pl. XXX." is lettered at the top right outside the border, the section title "Chirurgie." below the border, and the page number "93." at the lower left. No engraver's mark is lettered at the lower right.

The plate belongs to the Chirurgie section of the Recueil de planches, the plate volumes of the Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert, in the Livorno edition published by Giuseppe Aubert between 1771 and 1778. Its figures are numbered and keyed to an explanation printed in the text volume.

Framed with a generous mat, the plate suits a study, a library or a medical practice.

Condition: Loss or wear at the bottom left corner. Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Handling soiling along the left and top edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin. Minor edge wear, shallow nicks along the left.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.