The Plate Room
31,861 woodcuts, engravings and hand-coloured plates of living things, cut from the pages of herbals, bestiaries and natural histories scanned by the world's libraries and gathered in the Source Library. Every plate links to the page it came from. For one herbal read cover to cover, visit the Herball Room.
Hand-colored woodcut depicting various aquatic creatures, a ship, and a figure on the shore.
1478 · Das Buch der Natur
Large hand-colored woodcut of a river scene with scholars, fish, and a mermaid.
1491 · Ortus sanitatis
A hand-colored woodcut depicting a scene with two figures on opposite banks of a waterway filled with various aquatic creatures, including fish, crabs, a mermaid, and a merman. In the background, there are cities, ships,
1491 · Garden of Health
Large woodcut depicting a variety of sea monsters and land animals, including a whale attacking a ship and a giant lobster.
1598 · Cosmographey: das ist Beschreibung aller Laender
A large woodcut of a demon-shaped sea monster with a horned head, human-like torso, and a long fish tail.
1642 · History of Monsters
A plate of twelve hand-colored murex sea shell specimens, including a prominent Venus Comb murex.
1705 · Georg Eberhard Rumphius — D'Amboinsche rariteitkamer (1705)
A hand-colored engraving of fifteen conical sea shells (Trochidae family) arranged in a grid-like composition.
1705 · Georg Eberhard Rumphius — D'Amboinsche rariteitkamer (1705)
A copperplate engraving with hand-coloring depicting various specimens of Argonauta (Paper Nautilus) shells and the living animal.
1705 · Georg Eberhard Rumphius — D'Amboinsche rariteitkamer (1705)
A hand-colored engraving of four crab specimens and carapaces, labeled No. 1 through No. 4.
1705 · Georg Eberhard Rumphius — D'Amboinsche rariteitkamer (1705)
A hand-colored engraving depicting a Surinam toad (Pipa pipa) with young emerging from its back, swimming in water beneath a flowering plant, with seashells on the sandy bottom.
1719 · Maria Sibylla Merian — Dissertatio de generatione et metamorphosibus insectorum Surinamensium (1719)
Hand-colored engraving depicting the life cycles of insects and aquatic animals in a Surinamese landscape, featuring butterflies, caterpillars, a beetle, tadpoles, frogs, and shells.
1719 · Maria Sibylla Merian — Dissertatio de generatione et metamorphosibus insectorum Surinamensium (1719)
Scientific plate (Tab. XVI) depicting various marine mammals including whales, a dolphin, and a narwhal, with a separate narwhal tusk at the bottom.
1728 · Sacred Physics
An intricate engraving of various shells and marine life on a rocky shore, illustrating the fifth day of creation.
1728 · Sacred Physics
Woodcut depicting polar bears (Ursi Albi) fishing in an Arctic landscape.
1555 · History of the Northern Peoples
Woodcut illustration of an octopus and a lobster in a struggle, set against a coastal landscape with a ship and buildings.
1551 · The Hieroglyphics
Woodcut of a monstrous lobster attacking a swimming man
1586 · History of Animals, Book II: On Oviparous Quadrupeds
A dried and manipulated ray or skate, fashioned to look like a winged dragon or sea monster, known as a Jenny Haniver.
1586 · History of Animals, Book II: On Oviparous Quadrupeds
Emblem XXXI depicting a crab and an open oyster on a beach with a coastal landscape in the background.
1627 · Proteus, or Emblems of Love Transformed into Emblems of Morality
A natural history plate (Tab. XIV) featuring various Japanese marine life, including crabs (Gadsame, Simagami), clams (Hamaguri, Kisa Akagai), and a sea cucumber, with Japanese calligraphy and phonetic labels.
1727 · The History of Japan, Vol. 1
A plate of six Norwegian marine animals, including whales and sharks, with identifying labels in Danish.
n.d. · Det Første Forsøg paa Norges Naturlige Historie (The Natural History of Norway)
Woodcut of a large flat sea creature, possibly a ray or skate, with personified wind faces in the corners.
1555 · History of the Northern Peoples
The 'Magnes Aeolius' (Aeolian Magnet) depicted as a pufferfish suspended by a thread from a hand in the clouds, centered within a compass rose.
1654 · Athanasii Kircheri Societatis Jesu Magnes sive de arte magnetica opus tripartium quo universa magnetis natura, eiusque in omnibus scientiis & artibus usus, nova medthodo explicatur, ac praeterae e viribus & prodigiosis effectibus magneticarum, aliarumque abditarum naturae motionum in elementis, lapidibus, plantis, animalibus, elucescentium, multa hucusque incognita natureae arcana, per physica, medica, chymica, & mathematica omnis generis experimenta recluduntur
Woodcut of a 'monstrous' carp with a human-like face.
1661 · De Piscibus Libri V et De Cetis Liber Unus
Anatomical plate featuring seven detailed engravings of fish anatomy, specifically focusing on the head, mouth, and internal structures.
1666 · Anatomical Compendium (Syntagma Anatomicum) (1666)
A scientific plate (Tab. 3) featuring four detailed engravings of tortoise shells, including top and bottom views of a 'Great Chequerd Tortoise-Shell', a 'Lesser from Virginia', and a 'Scaled Tortoise Shell', accompanied
1681 · Museum of the Royal Society
A grid of four natural history engravings depicting Japanese aquatic creatures: two 'Minogame' (long-tailed turtles), a hermit crab, and a horseshoe crab, each with Japanese calligraphy and Romanized names.
1727 · The History of Japan, Vol. 1
Hand-colored engraving of a brightly patterned fish labeled 'Turdus &c', shown vertically with its head pointing downwards.
1743 · The Natural History of Carolina Florida and Bahama Islands Vol. 2
Woodcut depicting aquatic life including fish and crustaceans in a landscape with a castle and town.
1504 · Margarita philosophica
Detailed woodcut of a ray (Raia oculata), showing dorsal view with prominent ocelli.
1554 · Books on Marine Fishes
Detailed woodcut of a thornback ray (Raia Clauata) showing dorsal spines and tail anatomy.
1554 · Books on Marine Fishes
Woodcut illustration of a ray fish (Raia asperrima)
1554 · Books on Marine Fishes
Anatomical woodcut of a fish stomach (stomachus piscis) with multiple hand-like appendages.
1557 · De re metallica, hoc est, de origine, varietate, & natura corporum metallicorum, lapidum, gemmarum, atque aliarum, quae ex fodinis, eruuntur, rerum, ad medicinae usum deservientium, libri III
A scientific plate (Table 2) featuring twenty-five numbered woodcut illustrations of various crustaceans, including lobsters, crabs, and shrimp.
1618 · Ulyssis Aldrovandi ... De reliquis animalibus exanguibus, utpote de mollibus, crustaceis, testaceis & zoophytis, libri quatuor post mortem eius editi
A full-page scientific plate (Tab. I) illustrating various cephalopods and marine mollusks, including octopuses, cuttlefish, squid, and sea hares.
1623 · Vlyssis Aldrovandi Philosophi Ac Medici Bononiensis Historiam Naturalem in Gymnasio ibidem olim profitentis De Reliquis Animalibus exanguibus, utpote De Mollibus, De Crustaceis, De Testaceis & De Zoophytis Libri Quatuor Post mortem eius editi
A full-page plate (Tabula XVI) featuring multiple woodcut illustrations of marine mollusks and the legendary barnacle goose.
1623 · Vlyssis Aldrovandi Philosophi Ac Medici Bononiensis Historiam Naturalem in Gymnasio ibidem olim profitentis De Reliquis Animalibus exanguibus, utpote De Mollibus, De Crustaceis, De Testaceis & De Zoophytis Libri Quatuor Post mortem eius editi
Woodcut illustration of two mermen with human upper bodies and fish tails.
1643 · Athanasii Kircheri... Magnes sive de arte magnetica
Detailed engraving of a torpedo fish (electric ray) showing its dorsal markings and tail.
1654 · Athanasii Kircheri Societatis Jesu Magnes sive de arte magnetica opus tripartium quo universa magnetis natura, eiusque in omnibus scientiis & artibus usus, nova medthodo explicatur, ac praeterae e viribus & prodigiosis effectibus magneticarum, aliarumque abditarum naturae motionum in elementis, lapidibus, plantis, animalibus, elucescentium, multa hucusque incognita natureae arcana, per physica, medica, chymica, & mathematica omnis generis experimenta recluduntur
Two large sturgeons (Sturio) depicted vertically side-by-side, showing their characteristic bony plates (scutes) and elongated snouts.
1661 · De Piscibus Libri V et De Cetis Liber Unus
A large, detailed woodcut of a sturgeon (Acipenser), shown in a vertical profile.
1661 · De Piscibus Libri V et De Cetis Liber Unus
Large vertical woodcut of a Beluga sturgeon (Huso huso)
1661 · De Piscibus Libri V et De Cetis Liber Unus
A scientific plate (Tab. 8) featuring engravings of various fish and starfish, including the Square Acarauna, Mailed Fish of Brasile, Smooth Star-Fish, and Crowned Star-Fish, with a scale bar.
1681 · Museum of the Royal Society
A collection of seven engravings depicting various real and fantastical creatures, including a frog, sea monsters, and exotic fish.
1714 · Recherche curieuse d'antiquités, venuës d'Italie, de la Grece, d'Egypte, & trouvées à Nimegue, a Sant...
A hand-colored engraving depicting a large reddish-brown land crab positioned beneath a plant with yellow fruits. The crab has one significantly larger pincer, while its smaller pincer holds one of the three oval yellow
1750 · Mark Catesby — Piscium, serpentum, insectorum (pt. 1) (1750)
A collection of eight distinct fish species, hand-colored, from Louis Renard's 'Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes'.
1754 · Louis Renard — Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes (1754)
Hand-colored engraving of five distinct marine species, including the Peti-Cornute, Carcasse, Douwing-Dueq, Ican Swangi Touwa, and Calu-calu.
1754 · Louis Renard — Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes (1754)
Hand-colored engraving of a large, vertically oriented fish (De Groote Tafel-visch) with distinct black and white stripes and a long, trailing fin.
1754 · Louis Renard — Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes (1754)
A natural history plate featuring twelve detailed watercolor-style illustrations of various sea shells, primarily of the Strombidae family (conchs), arranged artistically with handwritten German labels.
1770 · Georg Wolfgang Knorr; Johann Ernst Immanuel Walch — Schnecken und Muscheln (1770)
A collection of fish and cephalopods, including an eel, a pufferfish, a ray, and a squid.
1814 · Hokusai Manga (北斎漫画), Vol. 1
A collection of marine life including turtles, fish, an octopus, and various crustaceans and mollusks.
1814 · Hokusai Manga (北斎漫画), Vol. 1
A collection of scientific and architectural engravings including a fish (fig 34), a robed figure (fig 35), architectural details (fig 36), vaulted structures (fig 31), a cross-section of a room with a pool, a woven cont
1665 · Journal des voyages de Monsieur de Monconys … Première partie (Voyage de Portugal, Provence, Italie, Egypte, Syrie, Constantinople & Natolie)
Engraving showing fish embryos within a gestational sac (Fig. LXXII) and a young fish with its yolk sac (Fig. LXXIII).
1604 · On the Formed Fetus and the Valves of the Veins
A scientific plate from Ulisse Aldrovandi's 'De Reliquis Animalibus exanguibus' featuring various species of snails and mollusks.
1623 · Vlyssis Aldrovandi Philosophi Ac Medici Bononiensis Historiam Naturalem in Gymnasio ibidem olim profitentis De Reliquis Animalibus exanguibus, utpote De Mollibus, De Crustaceis, De Testaceis & De Zoophytis Libri Quatuor Post mortem eius editi
Scientific plate showing anatomical studies of mollusks, including snails, bivalves, and segmented organisms.
1737 · The Book of Nature
A natural history plate featuring six detailed illustrations of crustaceans, including various species of crabs and a shrimp-like creature, meticulously hand-colored.
1770 · Georg Wolfgang Knorr; Johann Ernst Immanuel Walch — Schnecken und Muscheln (1770)
A natural history plate featuring various species of crabs and a marine mollusk, with a large edible crab (Cancer pagurus) as the central focus.
1770 · Georg Wolfgang Knorr; Johann Ernst Immanuel Walch — Schnecken und Muscheln (1770)
Woodcut illustration of a whale (鯨) in turbulent water.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 93)
Detailed engraving of a botanical or zoological specimen, possibly a stylized shell or marine organism.
1616 · Description of Less Known and Rare Plants
A comprehensive scientific plate featuring various cephalopods and marine organisms.
1618 · Ulyssis Aldrovandi ... De reliquis animalibus exanguibus, utpote de mollibus, crustaceis, testaceis & zoophytis, libri quatuor post mortem eius editi
A scientific plate (Table XII) featuring a collection of thirty-four numbered illustrations of various shells, including bivalves and barnacles, with Latin and some German labels.
1618 · Ulyssis Aldrovandi ... De reliquis animalibus exanguibus, utpote de mollibus, crustaceis, testaceis & zoophytis, libri quatuor post mortem eius editi
Woodcut of a large, spiny Murex shell, labeled Murex albus e monte effossus.
1648 · Metallic Museum