Bow Saw, Pincers, Nippers and Shears, Diderot Chirurgie Plate XXI, circa 1772
€ 270
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1772
Mapmaker / artist
Antonio Baratti (AB monogram)
Publisher
Giuseppe Aubert, Livorno
Technique
Copper Engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13259-24
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Handling soiling along the top edge. Slight wear at the top left corner. Minor edge wear, shallow nicks along the left and top.
About this sheet
An original antique copper engraving, uncolored, from the Chirurgie plates of the Encyclopédie, showing six instruments drawn large on a plain ground. Fig. 1 is a bow saw: a shaped iron frame with a turned, swelling grip in its back, a long toothed blade tensioned across it by a winged nut, and a handle with a curled butt. Fig. 2 is a pair of heavy pincers with broad curved jaws and long bowed arms. Fig. 3 is a smaller pair of cutting nippers with short beveled jaws. Fig. 4 is a pair of shears with two leaf shaped blades crossing at a large pivot and arms ending in curled hooks. Fig. 5 is a mallet with a plain cylindrical head on a faceted handle. Fig. 6 is a long straight bar with curled ends.
The plate number is lettered "Pl. XXI." at the top right, the section "Chirurgie." is lettered below the border, and the page number "84." stands at the lower left. It is signed at the lower right with the conjoined AB monogram followed by "s.", the mark the Venetian engraver Antonio Baratti used on the Livorno plates (his full signature, "Antonio Baratti s.", is lettered on Pl. XII of this section).
Diderot and d'Alembert's Encyclopédie was accompanied by volumes of engraved plates, the Recueil de planches. The Livorno edition was published by Giuseppe Aubert, with its plate volumes appearing between 1771 and 1778, and this plate comes from its Chirurgie section, which sets out surgical instruments, bandages and apparatus and shows operations, the figures numbered and keyed to an explanation printed in the text volume.
The strong, clear forms of the saw and shears give the plate a graphic presence on the wall. The plate mark is visible around the image.
Condition: Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Handling soiling along the top edge. Slight wear at the top left corner. Minor edge wear, shallow nicks along the left and top.
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.
