[c.1676]
Engraving, sheet 200 x 150mm (8 x 6"). Trimmed to border. Ms verso (by Charas?): 'Winchilsea. 8 April 1680 Ex dono Authoris'. Fne impression.
Peoples of all parts of the world bring fruits, plants and animals to the French monarch for use in natural medicines. Frontispiece to 'Pharmacopée Royale, Galenique, et Chymique' (first published 1676), an important treatise by the French apothecary Moyse Charas (1619-98) and the first European medical book translated into Chinese. While the frontispiece remained the same for several subsequent editions of the work, the excellent impression substantiates the claim that it was printed by 1680. According to manucript on the album sheet to which it is attached, the print was presented by Charas himself to the Earl of Winchelsea in 1680, and Charas wrote the inscription on the reverse of the print. Charas' other achievements included publishing the formula for theriac, a medicine used to treat a variety of ailments. Due to persecution in France, he also spent time in England, Spain, and the Netherlands.
For a portrait of Charas, also published in the 'Pharmacopée', see ref. 4709
[Ref: 38351] £550.00
Engraving, sheet 200 x 150mm (8 x 6"). Trimmed to border. Ms verso (by Charas?): 'Winchilsea. 8 April 1680 Ex dono Authoris'. Fne impression.
Peoples of all parts of the world bring fruits, plants and animals to the French monarch for use in natural medicines. Frontispiece to 'Pharmacopée Royale, Galenique, et Chymique' (first published 1676), an important treatise by the French apothecary Moyse Charas (1619-98) and the first European medical book translated into Chinese. While the frontispiece remained the same for several subsequent editions of the work, the excellent impression substantiates the claim that it was printed by 1680. According to manucript on the album sheet to which it is attached, the print was presented by Charas himself to the Earl of Winchelsea in 1680, and Charas wrote the inscription on the reverse of the print. Charas' other achievements included publishing the formula for theriac, a medicine used to treat a variety of ailments. Due to persecution in France, he also spent time in England, Spain, and the Netherlands.
For a portrait of Charas, also published in the 'Pharmacopée', see ref. 4709
[Ref: 38351] £550.00