Hooked Forceps, Files and Levers, Diderot Chirurgie Plate XXV, circa 1772
€ 290
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1772
Mapmaker / artist
Not named on the sheet
Publisher
Giuseppe Aubert, Livorno
Technique
Copper Engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13259-28
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. Scattered light foxing in the margin. Slight wear at the bottom left and top right corners. Minor edge wear, shallow nicks along the top.
About this sheet
This is an original antique copper engraving, uncolored, showing thirteen numbered figures of instruments with one figure of a patient. Fig. 1 is a long spoon with a notched bowl and a trefoil end, Fig. 2 a conical tube set at an angle on a flat handle, and Fig. 3 a long rod bent at a right angle with a pointed tip. Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 are short shafted instruments in faceted handles. Fig. 6 shows a man with his head tipped back, held by a pair of hands on his crown, while two hands in ruffled cuffs work at his face, one holding a small curved instrument. Fig. 7 and Fig. 12 are double ended hooks on swelling handles. The figures lettered 8 are four flat, finely hatched files tapering to points. Fig. 9 is a lever with a crescent tip set on a slotted shaft with a ball handle, Fig. 10 a pair of pincers with one hooked jaw, Fig. 11 a long curved forceps with a notched jaw, and Fig. 13 a handled instrument ending in a forked hook.
The plate number "Pl. XXV." is lettered at the top right outside the border, the section title "Chirurgie." below the border, and the page number "88." 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.
It pairs naturally with other Chirurgie plates for a coordinated group in a study or consulting room.
Condition: 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 and top right corners. Minor edge wear, shallow nicks along the 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.
