Eye Studies and Eye Operation, Diderot Chirurgie Plate XXIV, circa 1772
€ 340
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-13259-27
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
A deeper irregularity along the left edge. Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Handling soiling along the top edge. Scattered light foxing in the margin. Slight wear at the bottom left corner. Several larger brown marks.
About this sheet
This is an original antique copper engraving, uncolored, with five numbered figures concerned with the eye. Fig. 1 shows a pair of eyes; below the inner corner of one is a small round opening from which drops run down the cheek, and the other carries a small dark spot at the same place. Fig. 2 is a single eye with the nose, a drop gathered at the inner corner. Fig. 3 is a long striped band that crosses over itself, with a small screw fitting where it overlaps. Fig. 4 is a scene: a man in a wig, seated on a wooden chair, holds the head of a young patient seated before him, one hand over the brow, while a standing man applies a slender instrument to the patient's eye. Fig. 5 shows two hands at an eye, one spread over the brow and cheek to hold the lids open, the other holding a slender rod to the eye.
The plate number "Pl. XXIV." is lettered at the top right outside the border, the section title "Chirurgie." below the border, and the page number "87." 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).
This sheet comes from the Recueil de planches of the Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert, in the Livorno edition published by Giuseppe Aubert, whose plate volumes appeared between 1771 and 1778. The Chirurgie plates set out instruments, bandages and apparatus, keyed to an explanation in the text volume.
The clear line work and open layout read well on a wall, alone or hung with other plates from the same section.
Condition: A deeper irregularity along the left edge. Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Handling soiling along the top edge. Scattered light foxing in the margin. Slight wear at the bottom left corner. Several larger brown marks.
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.
