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.
Botanical illustration of Poinciana Regia (Delonix regia) featuring flowers, leaves, and anatomical details.
1863 · Berthe Hoola van Nooten — Fleurs, fruits et feuillages choisis de la flore et de la pomone de Java (1863)
Botanical illustration of Carica Papaya showing the trunk, leaves, whole fruit, and a cross-section of the fruit with seeds.
1863 · Berthe Hoola van Nooten — Fleurs, fruits et feuillages choisis de la flore et de la pomone de Java (1863)
Detailed engraving of Wallace's Standard Wing (Semioptera wallacii), showing both male and female specimens in a forest setting.
1869 · The Malay Archipelago: The Land of the Orang-Utan and the Bird of Paradise
The Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisea rubra) perched on a branch with berries.
1869 · The Malay Archipelago: The Land of the Orang-Utan and the Bird of Paradise
An engraving of the King Bird of Paradise and the Twelve-wired Bird of Paradise in a tropical forest.
1869 · The Malay Archipelago: The Land of the Orang-Utan and the Bird of Paradise
The Superb Bird of Paradise (Lophorina atra) perched on a branch.
1869 · The Malay Archipelago: The Land of the Orang-Utan and the Bird of Paradise
A scientific plate featuring seven different species of parrots perched on branches in a tropical landscape.
1878 · Anton Reichenow — Vogelbilder aus fernen Zonen: Papageien (1878)
Reproduction of a Byzantine miniature depicting Dioscorides, the personification Heuresis, and a mandrake root.
1890 · Illuminated Manuscripts in Classical and Medieval Times
A sheet of nine engravings depicting herons or similar long-necked birds in various naturalistic poses, arranged in a 3x3 grid.
1909 · The Numeral Playing Cards of the Master of Playing Cards
A collection of nine deer in various poses, including stags with large antlers and does, depicted with fine engraved lines.
1909 · The Numeral Playing Cards of the Master of Playing Cards
Botanical illustration of Agaricus flexuosus
n.d. · Illustrations of British Mycology, First Series
Botanical illustration of Agaricus procerus (Parasol Mushroom) showing two specimens at different stages of growth.
n.d. · Illustrations of British Mycology, First Series
Miniature depicting a herd of deer in a stylized landscape
n.d. · Le Livre de la chasse (The Book of the Hunt)
Detailed transverse section of a plant stem or root showing cellular structures and vascular bundles.
n.d. · The Anatomy of Plants (Vol. 1)
A Nahua ritual scene featuring a central altar with rising incense smoke flanked by two flowering plants, and two figures below engaged in an offering or dialogue.
n.d. · Tudela Codex
A manuscript miniature showing exotic animals on a rocky outcrop and men working by a river, with one man handling a large object.
1460 · Livre des merveilles du monde (Book of the Marvels of the World)
A woodcut illustration depicting three men in Elizabethan attire seated around a circular table in a garden, enjoying fruit and drink beneath a rose-covered trellis.
1577 · The Gardeners Labyrinth
A pen-and-ink drawing of a centaur, likely Chiron, and a human figure holding botanical specimens.
1000 · Herbarium of Apuleius & Dioscorides On Herbs (c. 1000 AD)
Woodcut of a scholar in his study, surrounded by books and jars, with a dog at his feet.
1090 · On the Virtues of Herbs
Hand-painted miniature of a lion in a landscape
1450 · Houghton Library. MS Typ 150. Fiore di virtu.
Hand-colored woodcut illustrating the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe under a mulberry tree.
1546 · Book of Herbs
A woodcut illustration of a mulberry tree with an allegorical scene featuring a woman, a fallen man, and a lion.
1552 · On the Names of Plants
Woodcut illustration of a linden tree with figures dancing and playing music beneath it.
1552 · On the Names of Plants
Woodcut depicting polar bears (Ursi Albi) fishing in an Arctic landscape.
1555 · History of the Northern Peoples
Hand-colored manuscript illustration of three birds in a landscape.
1577 · Florentine Codex, Vol. 3 (Books 10-12)
Illustration of monkeys in a forest and near a fire with humans
1577 · Florentine Codex, Vol. 3 (Books 10-12)
Three vertical panels depicting a flowering plant and domestic scenes with an infant.
1577 · Florentine Codex, Vol. 1 (Books 1-5)
Hand-colored allegorical engraving featuring three female figures.
1588 · Medical and Philosophical Garden
A woodcut illustration of a person in feathered attire, likely representing a native of the Americas, holding a botanical specimen and a feathered garment.
1599 · Ornithology: The History of Birds
A large woodcut of an owl standing on a rocky outcrop, clutching a rodent in its raised right talon.
1599 · Ornithology
A full-length woodcut of a human figure covered in feathers or scales, holding a flowering branch and a circular object, with a separate detail of a woven texture.
1599 · Ornithology
A detailed bird's-eye view of a formal Renaissance garden (Hortus Floridus) with geometric parterres, fountains, and architectural enclosures.
1616 · The Flowering Garden: Autumn
A woodcut of a monstrous rooster with a serpent's tail, titled 'Gallus monstrosus cauda anguina'.
1640 · Serpentum et Draconum Historiae
Woodcut illustration of a monstrous human figure with a frog-like face, standing with one arm raised.
1642 · History of Monsters
A woodcut illustration of a monstrous hermaphroditic figure with eagle-like feet and arrows protruding from its side.
1642 · History of Monsters
A large rectangular copperplate engraving depicting two anthropomorphic, hairy, ape-like creatures in a tropical landscape. On the left, a male figure stands upright, holding a fruit or club, with long hair and a beard.
1669 · Memorable Embassies to Japan
Allegorical engraving featuring Minerva seated before Oxford landmarks.
1669 · Oxford Universal History of Plants, Part Two
Engraved title vignette depicting Minerva in front of Oxford landmarks.
1669 · Oxford Universal History of Plants, Part Two
A detailed engraving of a griffin, a mythical creature with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion.
1672 · Theater of Earthly Creatures
An engraving of a mythical hybrid creature, a rooster with a long, coiled serpentine tail, identified in the text as a 'Gallus ophiomorphos'.
1678 · Mundus Subterraneus
Botanical illustration of Tanacetum Africanum featuring yellow flower clusters and feathery green foliage.
1686 · Jan Moninckx; Maria Moninckx — Moninckx Atlas, vol. 5 (1686)
An allegorical engraving featuring three leopards sleeping beneath a tree in a landscape, with a stone monument bearing the Latin motto 'IN PORTV DORMIVNT'.
1697 · Posthumous Works (Opera Posthuma)
An engraving depicting a dramatic scene in Guiana where a large caiman or water monster attacks a swimmer in a river, while European explorers in a boat watch in horror. The landscape features tropical flora, palm trees,
1706 · Drie scheeps-togten na het goud-rijke koningrijk Guiana, in America geleegen, door den Engelssen ridder Wal...
Scientific plate depicting three bird species: two types of Rainbirds and a Spanish Nightingale.
1707 · A voyage to the islands Madera Barbados Jamaica Vol. 1
Natural history plate featuring four hummingbirds and a blue heron.
1707 · A voyage to the islands Madera Barbados Jamaica Vol. 1
A detailed engraving depicting the cultivation and harvesting of dates in a Middle Eastern landscape, featuring palm groves, figures climbing trees, and social gatherings.
1712 · Exotic Pleasures (Persia and Asia observations)
An intricate engraving depicting a scene of snake charming or ritual interaction with cobras in a tropical landscape, featuring a botanical inset at the top.
1712 · Exotic Pleasures (Persia and Asia observations)
Engraved plate depicting artificial mandrakes (naked and clothed), a mandrake plant with fruit, and a ginseng root.
1733 · Superstitions anciennes et modernes
Hand-colored engraving of two snakes from Suriname.
1771 · Georg Wolfgang Knorr — Deliciae naturae selectae (1771)
Hand-colored botanical plate featuring the Mandrake and two Mimosa species.
1810 · A key to physic, and the occult sciences
A vibrant watercolor illustration by Warwick Goble depicting flower sellers in Constantinople, featuring figures in traditional dress seated by large baskets of pink and red blossoms.
1906 · Constantinople Painted by Warwick Goble
A collection of seven birds, including an owl and a hoopoe, engraved with fine detail.
1909 · The Numeral Playing Cards of the Master of Playing Cards
A framed illustration of a vertical serpent and a rearing quadruped, likely a panther.
1000 · Beowulf (Cotton MS Vitellius A.xv)
Woodcut illustration of a scholar in his study, surrounded by books and apothecary jars, with a small dog at his feet.
1090 · On the Virtues of Herbs
Illuminated miniature of two birds in a stone structure
1240 · Bestiary
Medieval manuscript illumination of a swan standing over a serpent and a human head.
1240 · Bestiary
Allegorical illustration of a stag and Dittany
1350 · Introductory Book
A rectangular illumination showing a grey elephant walking on grass, carrying a large pink castle-like tower (howdah) on its back against a blue sky.
1350 · Introductory Book
A hand-painted illumination depicting a crowned eagle standing over a hare, with two smaller birds in flight, set against a landscape of green hills.
1450 · Houghton Library. MS Typ 150. Fiore di virtu.
Hand-colored woodcut of a man standing near a perch with three birds.
1491 · Garden of Health (Hortus Sanitatis)