![From Ulisse Aldrovandi’s Vlyssis Aldrovandi philosophi ac medici Bononiensis historiam […] v.3 (1673): An illustration of a pelican feeding its young with its own blood, an old European belief about pelican behavior with no basis in reality. You may...](https://cdn.statically.io/img/64.media.tumblr.com/d47f957b712903ed10f69554bc898317/c5ac67eebda70954-79/s500x750/fd16f71862d2482259f19ed736cb0e6362ae0b7a.jpg)
From Ulisse Aldrovandi’s
Vlyssis Aldrovandi philosophi ac medici Bononiensis historiam […] v.3 (1673): An illustration of a pelican feeding its young with its own blood, an old European belief about pelican behavior with no basis in reality. You may also note that the pelican in the illustration has a small sharp beak instead of the long beak and throat pouch that typifies real-world pelicans.
A beautiful example of a copperplate initial letter from Denis Dodart’s Memoires pour servir a l’histoire des plantes, 1676, just digitized! Unusually for an initial letter, it’s signed by its creator Sebastien Le Clerc. He was appointed “graveur du roi” to Louis XIV and was forbidden from working for others. In this small initial is featured a crowned botanist discussing the properties of plants with a philosopher in the royal garden. Learn more about the book here https://s.si.edu/2IDv0R3 and check it out for yourself on the Internet Archive! https://archive.org/details/meymoirespourse00doda
Read any good books lately?
This sweet engraving is of a painting called “The Brothers,” by Christian Leberecht Vogel, found in the book The Royal Dresden Gallery. It depicts Vogel’s two young sons enjoying the pleasures of a picture book. Too cute, especially with it being #backtoschool time! Happy reading!
The Cooper Union Museum for the Arts of Decoration, now known as the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, held an exhibit in the ‘40s about the cat in history and art. Nine Lives, its exhibit catalog, is available in our collection of digitized books, and was used as a reference in the Wikipedia article on the cultural depiction of cats.
If you’re curious, the Smithsonian Collections Search can point you to over 100 objects in the Cooper Hewitt about cats.
The anatomy of a horse, elegantly arranged, and framed by its luckier (un-dissected!) barnyard friends. From Heck’s Iconographic encyclopaedia of science, literature and art (New York, 1851).
The lion’s share of the stars of the northern hemisphere. From Johannes Hevelius’ gorgeous Prodromus astronomiae.
For your entertainment, no mere gladiatorial games will do - instead an actual naval battle in the Colosseum itself, courtesy the Emperor Domitian.
from Entwurff einer historischen Architectur..(Drafts of historical architecture) including the seven wonders of the world.
And out of the night came a silver bird bearing a boy who carried letters of introduction to Paris.
Reblogging this post to for TDIH Charles Lindbergh is born February 4, 1902
laser eyes! (or not)
from Jean Dubreuil’s Practical perspective; or, An easy method of representing natural objects, according to the rules of art (18th c.)