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.
An allegorical engraving showing sleeping leopards under a tree with a Latin motto.
1697 · Marcelli Malpighii ... De structura glandularum conglobatarum consimiliumque partium, epistola, Regiae Societati Londini ad scientiam naturalem promovendam institutae, dicata
A large hand-colored engraving divided into three panels showing chameleons, caterpillars, and a small spotted mammal.
1700 · Voyage au Levant, c'est à dire dans les principaux endroits de l'Asie Mineure, dans les isles de Chio, d...
Illustration of a child with an elephant's head.
1700 · Manuscript containing illustrations of strange beasts and men, women and children. (Italian MS 63)
A hand-colored engraving divided into three horizontal registers showing botanical and architectural subjects from the Levant.
1700 · Voyage au Levant, c'est à dire dans les principaux endroits de l'Asie Mineure, dans les isles de Chio, d...
Two hand-colored landscape engravings (numbered 155 and 156) depicting the flora and terrain of the Levant, likely near Mount Lebanon.
1700 · Voyage au Levant, c'est à dire dans les principaux endroits de l'Asie Mineure, dans les isles de Chio, d...
A 4x3 grid of twelve circular emblems with mottos and symbolic imagery.
1702 · Symbolographia sive de arte symbolica sermones septem : quibus accessit studio & opera eiusdem Sylloge celebriorum symbolorum in quatuor divisa classes sacrorum, heroicorum, ethicorum et satyricorum bis mille iconismis expressa ...
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 detailed engraving showing the cultivation, harvesting, and processing of cochineal insects on prickly pear cacti in Mexico, featuring various figures engaged in different stages of the process.
1707 · A voyage to the islands Madera Barbados Jamaica Vol. 1
A composite engraving showing flora and fauna of the West Indies, divided into two main panels: marine animals and mammals on the left, and reptiles and 'monsters' on the right.
1710 · Les Indes Orientales et Occidentales, et autres lieuX : représentés en très-belles figur...
A large, two-panel engraving depicting the fauna of the West Indies, featuring various birds, mammals, and reptiles in a tropical landscape.
1710 · Les Indes Orientales et Occidentales, et autres lieuX : représentés en très-belles figur...
Botanical and entomological study of a yarrow plant with various insects.
1717 · Maria Sibylla Merian — Der rupsen begin, voedzel en wonderbaare verandering (1712)
Botanical and entomological study of a rose with insects
1717 · Maria Sibylla Merian — Der rupsen begin, voedzel en wonderbaare verandering (1712)
Botanical and entomological study of insects on grain and a flowering plant
1717 · Maria Sibylla Merian — Der rupsen begin, voedzel en wonderbaare verandering (1712)
Botanical and entomological study showing the life cycle of a moth on a host plant.
1717 · Maria Sibylla Merian — Der rupsen begin, voedzel en wonderbaare verandering (1712)
Detailed scientific illustration of spiders, ants, and a hummingbird on a guava branch.
1719 · Maria Sibylla Merian — Dissertatio de generatione et metamorphosibus insectorum Surinamensium (1719)
A hand-colored engraving depicting praying mantises on a tree branch and an opossum carrying its young below.
1719 · Maria Sibylla Merian — Dissertatio de generatione et metamorphosibus insectorum Surinamensium (1719)
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)
Engraved plate depicting the creation of insects on the fifth day, featuring a central landscape and numerous specimens.
1728 · Sacred Physics
Engraving of the fifth day of creation (Genesis 1:20), showing various birds in a landscape, surrounded by a decorative border containing numbered biological and anatomical diagrams.
1728 · Sacred Physics
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
Hand-colored engraving of an American Partridge and an Atamasco Lily.
1743 · The natural history of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands : containing two hundred a...
A natural history illustration of an oriole-like bird perched on a lily bulb, with a flowering white lily and a small flying insect.
1743 · The natural history of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands : containing two hundred a...
Natural history plate featuring the head of a crested heron with a spotted eft in its beak, surrounded by various insects.
1743 · The natural history of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands : containing two hundred a...
Hand-colored engraving of an American bison standing next to a tree trunk with an overhanging flowering branch.
1743 · The Natural History of Carolina Florida and Bahama Islands Vol. 2
A hand-colored engraving of a mermaid-like creature, described as a 'monster similar to a Siren.'
1754 · Louis Renard — Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes (1754)
Hand-colored copperplate engraving illustrating the life cycle and anatomy of a frog, from spawn to adult, including dissections and a naturalistic landscape.
1758 · August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof — Historia naturalis ranarum nostratium (1758)
Hand-colored engraving of a large mammal, likely a tapir or stylized hippopotamus, in a landscape with a pyramid.
1771 · Georg Wolfgang Knorr — Deliciae naturae selectae (1771)
Hand-colored copperplate engraving showing the skeletal anatomy and external appearance of a turtle.
1771 · Georg Wolfgang Knorr — Deliciae naturae selectae (1771)
Hand-colored engraving of a Baltimore Oriole on a Tulip Tree branch.
1777 · The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, Vol. 1
Hand-colored engraving of a Yellow-crowned Night Heron with a succulent plant.
1777 · The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, Vol. 1
Hand-colored engraving of a flamingo (Phoenicopterus) and a branched sea fan (Keratophiton) on a shoreline.
1777 · The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, Vol. 1
Hand-colored engraving of a Painted Finch perched on an Althea Floridana plant.
1777 · The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, Vol. 1
Botanical plate of Agaricus petaloides mushrooms showing various growth stages and a cross-section.
1791 · Histoire des Champignons de la France, Vol 2
A detailed natural history illustration of a Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata), depicted in profile facing right.
1800 · Jean Baptiste Audebert — Histoire naturelle des singes et des makis (1800)
A detailed color engraving of a black spider monkey, identified as 'Le Coaïta', climbing a vertical tree branch.
1800 · Jean Baptiste Audebert — Histoire naturelle des singes et des makis (1800)
Natural history illustration of a bird perched on a branch, identified as Le Heoro-taire bleu.
1802 · Jean Baptiste Audebert — Histoire naturelle des grimpereaux et des oiseaux de paradis (1802)
A detailed natural history illustration of a Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise perched on a mossy, broken tree stump.
1802 · Jean Baptiste Audebert — Histoire naturelle des grimpereaux et des oiseaux de paradis (1802)
Natural history illustration of three distinct bird feathers, labeled 1, 2, and 3.
1802 · Jean Baptiste Audebert — Histoire naturelle des grimpereaux et des oiseaux de paradis (1802)
Natural history illustration of a bird (Le S. à capuchon violet) on a branch
1802 · Jean Baptiste Audebert — Histoire naturelle des grimpereaux et des oiseaux de paradis (1802)
A hand-colored engraving of a bird identified as 'Le Grimpar Nasican mâle' perched on a branch.
1807 · François Le Vaillant — Histoire naturelle des promerops et des guêpiers (1807)
A hand-colored engraving of a Savigny Bee-eater variety perched on a branch.
1807 · François Le Vaillant — Histoire naturelle des promerops et des guêpiers (1807)
Natural history illustration of a male Tawa Bee-eater (Le Guêpier Tawa) perched on a weathered branch.
1807 · François Le Vaillant — Histoire naturelle des promerops et des guêpiers (1807)
A hand-colored engraving of a male Lamarck's Bee-eater perched on a dry branch.
1807 · François Le Vaillant — Histoire naturelle des promerops et des guêpiers (1807)
Hand-colored botanical engraving of a cashew nut tree branch.
1810 · A key to physic, and the occult sciences
Hand-colored botanical engraving of a coffee tree branch with flowers and fruit, including anatomical details of seeds.
1810 · A key to physic, and the occult sciences
A plate illustrating various falconry equipment, including ornate feathered hoods, a bird-wing lure, and green leather bags.
1844 · Hermann Schlegel — Traité de fauconnerie (1844)
A detailed, hand-colored lithograph of a white Greenland falcon (Gyrfalcon) perched on a falconer's gloved hand, wearing a decorative hood.
1844 · Hermann Schlegel — Traité de fauconnerie (1844)
Detailed scientific illustration of an Icelandic Gyrfalcon perched on a snow-covered rock.
1844 · Hermann Schlegel — Traité de fauconnerie (1844)
Detailed hand-colored illustration of a male gyrfalcon (tiercelet hagard) perched on a mossy rock within a mountainous landscape.
1844 · Hermann Schlegel — Traité de fauconnerie (1844)
Scientific plate illustrating the fungus Fumago salicina, showing various growth stages and microscopic structures.
1861 · Selecta Fungorum Carpologia, Vol 1
A complex still life illustration featuring various species of fungi, botanical specimens, a compound microscope, and open scientific books arranged on a decorative pedestal.
1861 · Selecta Fungorum Carpologia, Vol 1
Scientific plate Tab. XIII illustrating various fungi species including Nectria and Sphaeria.
1863 · Selecta Fungorum Carpologia, Vol 2
Allegorical still life for the 'Tabulae' section featuring a microscope, various fungi, botanical specimens, and scientific books.
1863 · Selecta Fungorum Carpologia, Vol 2
Botanical chromolithograph of Mangifera indica (Mango) showing fruit, leaves, flower, and seed.
1863 · Berthe Hoola van Nooten — Fleurs, fruits et feuillages choisis de la flore et de la pomone de Java (1863)
Botanical illustration of Musa coccinea (Scarlet Banana) with anatomical floral diagrams.
1863 · Berthe Hoola van Nooten — Fleurs, fruits et feuillages choisis de la flore et de la pomone de Java (1863)