French Warship Ship - Cross section Vessel - IV Diderot -Dennis Diderot / Jacques Renaud Benard - 1769

£250.00

French Warship Ship Sailing Cross section Vessel - IV Diderot 1769 - Dennis Diderot / Jacques Renaud Benard

Plate IV: 'Marine, coupe d'un vaisseau dans toute sa longueur et coupe d'une galère dans toute sa longueur.'

Large: Etching/engraving on a verge type hand laid paper with watermark, not visible on every sheet. This plate is engraved by Robert Benard. Condition: Excellent with mild foxing. Pricing and grading commensurate.

This old antique print originates from: 'Encyclopedie ou Dictionnaire raisonne des sciences, des arts et des metiers, par une Societe de Gens de lettres.' which was published under the direction of Diderot and d'Alembert, with 17 volumes of text and 11 volumes of plates between 1751 and 1772. In 1776-1777, Charles-Joseph Panckoucke and Jean-Baptiste-René Robinet published a Supplement in 4 volumes of texts and 1 of plates.

Interesting original 18th-century engraving showing the cross-section of the decks of two sailing ships.

The upper ship is a galley, a lower, flatter ship that could be propelled by oars and was favoured by certain navies in near-coastal warfare. The lower image is that of an enormous ship of the line, more favoured in open waters at the time.

Galleys had previously seen their hey-day on the Mediterranean, having predominated since Roman times until the 16th century. They were replaced by sailing vessels which could carry larger complements of guns in open waters.

The engraving appeared in Diderot's monumental Encyclopedie. The engraving is based on an earlier depiction by Nicholas Bellin, the primary cartographer for the French Navy.

This encyclopaedia was a massive reference work for the arts and sciences, as well to propagate the ideas of the French Enlightenment. The impact of this encyclopedia was enormous.

Direction and Engravers: Denis Diderot (1713-1784) was a French philosopher, art critic and writer. Jean le Rond d'Alembert (1717-1783) was a French mathematician, mechanician, physicist and philosopher. These plates are drawn by M. Belin (naval engineer) and engraved by Robert Benard .

Robert Bénard (1734 in Paris – 1794) was a French engraver.

Specialised in the technique of engraving, Robert Bénard is mainly famous for having supplied a significant number of plates (at least 1,800) to the Encyclopédie by Diderot & d'Alembert from 1751.Later, publisher Charles-Joseph Panckoucke reused many of his productions to illustrate the works of his catalog.

Biographical research established in 2019 that his real name was Jacques Renaud Benard, that he was born in 1731 at Rosny-sous-Bois, and that he died in Paris in 1794.

Publishers and Printer  : Briasson, rue Saint Jacques, a la Science- Paris, Le Breton -Premier Imprimeur du Roy, rue de la Harpe- Paris.

The signature "Benard fecit" on plates probably indicates the work of his own hand; the signatures "Benard Direx" and "Benard Direxit" indicate the work of the atelier of engravers he directed for many years. This plate indicates that Bernard produced this engraving himself.

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French Warship Ship Sailing Cross section Vessel - IV Diderot 1769 - Dennis Diderot / Jacques Renaud Benard

Plate IV: 'Marine, coupe d'un vaisseau dans toute sa longueur et coupe d'une galère dans toute sa longueur.'

Large: Etching/engraving on a verge type hand laid paper with watermark, not visible on every sheet. This plate is engraved by Robert Benard. Condition: Excellent with mild foxing. Pricing and grading commensurate.

This old antique print originates from: 'Encyclopedie ou Dictionnaire raisonne des sciences, des arts et des metiers, par une Societe de Gens de lettres.' which was published under the direction of Diderot and d'Alembert, with 17 volumes of text and 11 volumes of plates between 1751 and 1772. In 1776-1777, Charles-Joseph Panckoucke and Jean-Baptiste-René Robinet published a Supplement in 4 volumes of texts and 1 of plates.

Interesting original 18th-century engraving showing the cross-section of the decks of two sailing ships.

The upper ship is a galley, a lower, flatter ship that could be propelled by oars and was favoured by certain navies in near-coastal warfare. The lower image is that of an enormous ship of the line, more favoured in open waters at the time.

Galleys had previously seen their hey-day on the Mediterranean, having predominated since Roman times until the 16th century. They were replaced by sailing vessels which could carry larger complements of guns in open waters.

The engraving appeared in Diderot's monumental Encyclopedie. The engraving is based on an earlier depiction by Nicholas Bellin, the primary cartographer for the French Navy.

This encyclopaedia was a massive reference work for the arts and sciences, as well to propagate the ideas of the French Enlightenment. The impact of this encyclopedia was enormous.

Direction and Engravers: Denis Diderot (1713-1784) was a French philosopher, art critic and writer. Jean le Rond d'Alembert (1717-1783) was a French mathematician, mechanician, physicist and philosopher. These plates are drawn by M. Belin (naval engineer) and engraved by Robert Benard .

Robert Bénard (1734 in Paris – 1794) was a French engraver.

Specialised in the technique of engraving, Robert Bénard is mainly famous for having supplied a significant number of plates (at least 1,800) to the Encyclopédie by Diderot & d'Alembert from 1751.Later, publisher Charles-Joseph Panckoucke reused many of his productions to illustrate the works of his catalog.

Biographical research established in 2019 that his real name was Jacques Renaud Benard, that he was born in 1731 at Rosny-sous-Bois, and that he died in Paris in 1794.

Publishers and Printer  : Briasson, rue Saint Jacques, a la Science- Paris, Le Breton -Premier Imprimeur du Roy, rue de la Harpe- Paris.

The signature "Benard fecit" on plates probably indicates the work of his own hand; the signatures "Benard Direx" and "Benard Direxit" indicate the work of the atelier of engravers he directed for many years. This plate indicates that Bernard produced this engraving himself.

French Warship Ship Sailing Cross section Vessel - IV Diderot 1769 - Dennis Diderot / Jacques Renaud Benard

Plate IV: 'Marine, coupe d'un vaisseau dans toute sa longueur et coupe d'une galère dans toute sa longueur.'

Large: Etching/engraving on a verge type hand laid paper with watermark, not visible on every sheet. This plate is engraved by Robert Benard. Condition: Excellent with mild foxing. Pricing and grading commensurate.

This old antique print originates from: 'Encyclopedie ou Dictionnaire raisonne des sciences, des arts et des metiers, par une Societe de Gens de lettres.' which was published under the direction of Diderot and d'Alembert, with 17 volumes of text and 11 volumes of plates between 1751 and 1772. In 1776-1777, Charles-Joseph Panckoucke and Jean-Baptiste-René Robinet published a Supplement in 4 volumes of texts and 1 of plates.

Interesting original 18th-century engraving showing the cross-section of the decks of two sailing ships.

The upper ship is a galley, a lower, flatter ship that could be propelled by oars and was favoured by certain navies in near-coastal warfare. The lower image is that of an enormous ship of the line, more favoured in open waters at the time.

Galleys had previously seen their hey-day on the Mediterranean, having predominated since Roman times until the 16th century. They were replaced by sailing vessels which could carry larger complements of guns in open waters.

The engraving appeared in Diderot's monumental Encyclopedie. The engraving is based on an earlier depiction by Nicholas Bellin, the primary cartographer for the French Navy.

This encyclopaedia was a massive reference work for the arts and sciences, as well to propagate the ideas of the French Enlightenment. The impact of this encyclopedia was enormous.

Direction and Engravers: Denis Diderot (1713-1784) was a French philosopher, art critic and writer. Jean le Rond d'Alembert (1717-1783) was a French mathematician, mechanician, physicist and philosopher. These plates are drawn by M. Belin (naval engineer) and engraved by Robert Benard .

Robert Bénard (1734 in Paris – 1794) was a French engraver.

Specialised in the technique of engraving, Robert Bénard is mainly famous for having supplied a significant number of plates (at least 1,800) to the Encyclopédie by Diderot & d'Alembert from 1751.Later, publisher Charles-Joseph Panckoucke reused many of his productions to illustrate the works of his catalog.

Biographical research established in 2019 that his real name was Jacques Renaud Benard, that he was born in 1731 at Rosny-sous-Bois, and that he died in Paris in 1794.

Publishers and Printer  : Briasson, rue Saint Jacques, a la Science- Paris, Le Breton -Premier Imprimeur du Roy, rue de la Harpe- Paris.

The signature "Benard fecit" on plates probably indicates the work of his own hand; the signatures "Benard Direx" and "Benard Direxit" indicate the work of the atelier of engravers he directed for many years. This plate indicates that Bernard produced this engraving himself.

Code : A343

Cartographer : Cartographer / Engraver / Publisher: Dennis Diderot /  Jacques Renaud Benard

Date : Publication Place / Date - Circa 1769

Size : Sheet size: Image Size: 71 x 40 cm

Availability : Available

Type - Genuine - Antique

Grading A

Where Applicable - Folds as issued. Light box photo shows the folio leaf centre margin hinge ‘glue’, this is not visible otherwise.

Tracked postage, in casement. Please contact me for postal quotation outside of the UK.