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.
Woodcut illustration of a seated putto surrounded by plants and large seed pods.
1592 · The Plants of Egypt
Woodcut illustration of a man harvesting from a tree, identified as Huang Teng (Yellow Rattan).
1596 · Compendium of Materia Medica
Woodcut illustration of a man sitting under a fruit-bearing tree, identified by the text as Tianshi Li (Chinese horse-chestnut).
1596 · Compendium of Materia Medica
Woodcut illustration of the Asafoetida plant (阿魏) featuring a hunter with a bow and animals in a landscape setting.
1596 · Compendium of Materia Medica
A 2x2 grid of woodcut illustrations from a Chinese pharmacopoeia, featuring a man harvesting from a tree and three botanical specimens.
1596 · 本草綱目圖3卷. [2]
A large woodcut of a bird of prey, identified as an Osprey (Halietos), perched on a gnarled tree stump with a small insect at its base.
1599 · Ornithology
Detailed woodcut of a golden eagle standing on a rocky base.
1599 · Ornithologiae: de avibus historiae libri XII
Woodcut of a human-headed bird creature, or harpy, standing on a pedestal.
1599 · Ornithologiae: de avibus historiae libri XII
Woodcut of a four-winged human-bird hybrid, identified as Harpyia tetrapteron.
1599 · Ornithologiae: de avibus historiae libri XII
Woodcut illustration of a snake coiled around a tree with a hanging bird's nest.
1599 · Ornithologiae: de avibus historiae libri XII
A large woodcut illustration of an ostrich (Struthio camelus) standing over an egg, with a small tuft of grass to the left.
1599 · Ornithology: The History of Birds
Woodcut of a Manucodiata (Bird of Paradise) shown without feet, suspended from a cloud by its long tail feathers.
1599 · Ornithology: The History of Birds
A large-scale woodcut of a toucan, characterized by its oversized, serrated beak and zygodactyl feet, perched on a branch.
1599 · Ornithology: The History of Birds
Woodcut of a female mandrake plant (Mandragora femina) showing its leaves, flowers, and characteristic anthropomorphic root system.
1601 · Rariorum Plantarum Historia (with Fungorum Historia)
Ex Libris bookplate for Axel Liljedahl featuring a serpent and chalice emblem.
1601 · Rariorum Plantarum Historia (with Fungorum Historia)
Botanical woodcut of a tulip plant (Tulipa praecox) showing the bulb, stem, leaves, flower, and seed details.
1601 · History of Rare Plants
Botanical woodcut of a Fritillaria plant showing its bulb, stem, leaves, and a single nodding flower.
1601 · History of Rare Plants
Botanical woodcut of a potato plant showing foliage, flowers, and tubers.
1601 · History of Rare Plants
Two woodcut illustrations of a cartilaginous starfish, showing the dorsal (prone) and ventral (supine) views.
1602 · De Animalibus Insectis Libri Septem
Two detailed woodcut illustrations of starfish (Stella quinqueradiorum), depicting dorsal and ventral views.
1602 · De Animalibus Insectis Libri Septem
A detailed woodcut of a five-armed starfish with feathery, pectinate textures along its limbs.
1602 · De Animalibus Insectis Libri Septem
Two woodcut illustrations of a starfish, showing the dorsal (reticulated) and ventral views.
1602 · De Animalibus Insectis Libri Septem
A detailed woodcut of a crested parrot perched on a T-shaped stand.
1605 · Ten Books of Exotic Things
Woodcut illustration of a Great Skua bird, shown in profile facing left.
1605 · Ten Books of Exotic Things
Woodcut illustration of a Luan (鸞), a mythical bird, standing on a branch.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 89)
Woodcut illustration of a nine-headed bird, identified as the 'Gui Che' (Ghost Carriage), perched on a flowering branch next to a rock.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 89)
Two woodcut illustrations of Ming dynasty civil official rank patches (Buzi), depicting a crane for the first rank and a golden pheasant for the second rank.
1609 · Collected Illustrations of the Three Powers (Sancai Tuhui), Vol. 63
Woodcut illustration of two birds in a 'competitive posture' among tall grasses.
1609 · Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms
Woodcut illustration of the mythical bird 'Yong' (顒) with a human face.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 90)
Woodcut illustration of the mythical bird Qu Ru (瞿如) from the Sancai Tuhui.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 90)
Woodcut illustration of the mythical creature Fuxi, a bird with a human face.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 90)
Woodcut illustration of a bird perched on a branch with celestial symbols (crescent moon and constellations) above.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 90)
Woodcut illustration of a guqin finger technique, comparing a hand gesture to a pheasant on a tree branch.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 65)
Woodcut illustration of a left hand gesture and a swallow, titled 'Swallow Chasing Flying Insects'.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 65)
Woodcut illustration of a right hand gesture and a rooster, representing a specific dance posture.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 65)
Woodcut illustration of a primate-like creature, identified as a 'Ran' (猱), sitting in a rocky landscape.
1609 · Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms: Birds and Beasts
Woodcut illustration of a bear (xiong) in a landscape, representing a military rank badge.
1609 · Collected Illustrations of the Three Powers (Sancai Tuhui), Vol. 63
Woodcut illustration of a leopard (bao) in a landscape, representing a military rank badge.
1609 · Collected Illustrations of the Three Powers (Sancai Tuhui), Vol. 63
Woodcut illustration of a mythical creature, possibly a dragon or chimera, with scales and claws.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 93)
Woodcut illustration of a long-haired ox-like creature, identified as a Mao (yak), in a landscape.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui, Juan 92 — Birds & Beasts (NCL Original)
Woodcut illustration of a mythical three-horned beast (Sanjiaoshou) in a landscape.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui, Juan 92 — Birds & Beasts (NCL Original)
Woodcut illustration of a long-haired ox (Mao) in a landscape.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui, Juan 92 — Birds & Beasts (NCL Original)
Woodcut illustration of the Tiangou, a cat-like mythological creature with a white head, shown eating a snake.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui, Juan 92 — Birds & Beasts (NCL Original)
Woodcut illustration of a man from Mulanpi Country sitting with a ram under a tree.
1609 · Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms, Volume 32
Woodcut illustration of a horse and a person standing behind it.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 44)
Woodcut illustration of a gibbon (猿) sitting on a rock, reaching out with its long arm towards a flying insect.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 92)
Woodcut illustration of a 'wèi' (a type of long-tailed monkey) sitting on a rock.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 92)
Woodcut illustration of the mythical creature Huaguo (猾裹).
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 92)
Woodcut illustration of the mythical creature You'e (幽額) with a striped body and human-like face.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 92)
Woodcut illustration of a man leading a Bactrian camel.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 34)
Woodcut illustration of a Bactrian camel and its handler from the Sancai Tuhui encyclopedia.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 33)
Woodcut illustration titled '採芝圖' (Gathering Lingzhi) depicting a youth presenting a lingzhi mushroom to a scholar or immortal.
1609 · Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms
A woodcut illustration from the Sancai Tuhui depicting a series of animals (a goat, a goose, and a pheasant) paired with bundles of silk, representing traditional Chinese taxonomic and material classifications.
1609 · Sancai Tuhui (Vol. 86)
Woodcut illustration of a scholar in traditional robes standing under a weeping willow tree by a stream, observing small creatures on the ground.
1609 · Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms
Woodcut illustration of a humanoid creature, labeled '如人' (Ru ren), in a landscape with a pine tree and rocks.
1609 · Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms: Birds and Beasts
Woodcut illustration of two birds perched on a thorny branch with leaves and berries.
1609 · Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms
Woodcut illustration of the fable 'The Hares and the Frogs,' showing a group of hares on a riverbank and frogs in the water.
1610 · Mythologia Aesopica (Aesop, Babrius, Phaedrus, Avianus)
Botanical engraving of Crocus (Saffron) plants with bulbs and a small rodent.
1616 · The Flowering Garden: Autumn
Botanical woodcut of the Orchis Anthropophora (Man Orchid) showing the entire plant with anthropomorphic flowers.
1616 · Description of Less Known and Rare Plants
An engraving of a stag grazing in a landscape, accompanied by a small frog in the foreground.
1617 · The History of the Two Worlds