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 rhinoceros, depicted with armor-like plates and scales, based on Albrecht Dürer's 1515 design.
1598 · Cosmographey: das ist Beschreibung aller Laender
Large woodcut depicting various sea monsters and land animals from the North.
1598 · Cosmographey: das ist Beschreibung aller Laender
Woodcut of a unicorn in a landscape with trees and birds.
1598 · Cosmographey: das ist Beschreibung aller Laender
Woodcut illustration of a dodo bird, showing its distinctive large, hooked beak and flightless form.
1605 · Ten Books of Exotic Things
A full-page scientific plate (Tab. XX) featuring eleven numbered woodcut illustrations of various bird species, including plovers, lapwings, and emus.
1610 · Ulyssis Aldrovandi ... Ornithologiae
A full-page plate (Tab. XIII) featuring eight detailed woodcut illustrations of various heron and egret species.
1610 · Ulyssis Aldrovandi ... Ornithologiae
A full-page plate (Tabula XI) featuring a grid of nine ornithological illustrations, including various cranes, flamingos, an ibis, a black stork with a snake, and a detailed crane skeleton.
1610 · Ulyssis Aldrovandi ... Ornithologiae
A scientific plate (TAB. II) containing nine woodcut illustrations of various birds, including pelicans and gulls, with Latin and German labels.
1610 · Ulyssis Aldrovandi ... Ornithologiae
Allegorical engraving of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, reclining against a tree and holding a large cornucopia overflowing with blossoms.
1616 · The Flowering Garden: Autumn
An intricate engraving of a formal Renaissance garden from the 'Autumnus' section of Hortus Floridus, featuring a central fountain, geometric flower beds, and figures tending to the plants.
1616 · The Flowering Garden: Autumn
An intricate engraving of an eagle's nest on a jagged mountain peak, with one bird attempting flight while another remains, overlooking a detailed river valley and city.
1618 · Atalanta Fleeing
A full-page plate of entomological and botanical specimens including various beetles and root-like structures.
1618 · Ulyssis Aldrovandi ... De animalibus insectis libri septem
A full-page plate of entomological illustrations including an ant nest, wood galleries, and various insects.
1618 · Ulyssis Aldrovandi ... De animalibus insectis libri septem
A detailed woodcut of a rhinoceros, depicted with armor-like skin plates and a small horn on its back, based on Dürer's famous 1515 woodcut.
1621 · History of All Cloven-Hoofed Quadrupeds
An intricate engraving depicting two men in a formal garden examining a small plant, with a gardener working in the background and a dog in the foreground. The scene is topped by the motto 'Ex minimis patet ipse Deus'.
1623 · Zeeusche nachtegael, ende des selfs dryderley gesang
A grid of six circular engraved emblems numbered 37 to 42, set within ornate strapwork frames.
1623 · Ideas for Reforming the Antichrist
A circular emblem depicting a couple walking in a garden with climbing bean plants and a large building in the background.
1627 · Proteus, or Emblems of Love Transformed into Emblems of Morality
An allegorical engraving of a male figure integrated with a tree, featuring branches with lettered fruit growing from his body.
1629 · Raphael artem medicam explanans
An allegorical engraving of a human figure integrated with a tree, with branches bearing lettered medallions.
1629 · Raphael Explaining the Art of Medicine
A monstrous rooster with a serpentine tail and a large crest.
1640 · Ulyssis Aldrovandi ... serpentum et draconum historiae libri duo
A large woodcut of a seven-headed hydra (Hydra septiceps) clinging to a tree trunk.
1640 · Ulyssis Aldrovandi ... serpentum et draconum historiae libri duo
1640 · Ulyssis Aldrovandi ... serpentum et draconum historiae libri duo
An intricate engraving of a 'Heliotropic Horoscope' featuring a sunflower as a timekeeping device.
1641 · Magnes sive De Arte Magnetica
A large woodcut of a demon-shaped sea monster with a horned head, human-like torso, and a long fish tail.
1642 · History of Monsters
Woodcut of a 'Sea Bishop' monster with a mitre-like head and scaly body.
1642 · History of Monsters
An intricate engraving titled 'Aranea Geometrizans' showing a spider in a large, geometrically perfect web suspended between trees in a landscape.
1642 · Beehives of Universal Mathematical Philosophy, Volume One
Full-page engraving titled 'Iconismus III' depicting the musical notation of various bird songs.
1650 · Universal Music-making (Musurgia Universalis), Volume I
A complex anatomical and astrological diagram featuring a central male figure surrounded by concentric circles of text, symbols, and botanical names.
1650 · Universal Music-making (Musurgia Universalis), Vol. II
A woodcut illustration of a 'Dracunculus Monoceros,' a small winged dragon-like creature with a single horn, scaly body, and a curled tail.
1651 · Treasury of Medical Matters of New Spain
Engraving of an elephant and a winged dragon in combat, illustrating 'Sanguis Draconis'.
1651 · Viatorium, hoc est, de montibus planetarum
A complex diagram titled 'Typus Sympathicus Microcosmi cum Megacosmo' showing the correspondences between the human body and the cosmos.
1653 · Oedipus Aegyptiacus Tomus II
A complex diagram titled 'Typus Sympathicus Microcosmi cum Megacosmo' showing a male figure with internal organs exposed, surrounded by concentric circles containing astrological symbols, botanical names, and anatomical
1653 · The Egyptian Oedipus, Volume II
Engraving of a 'Horoscopium Botanicum' (Botanical Horoscope), a sunflower-based clock mechanism.
1654 · Athanasii Kircheri Societatis Jesu Magnes sive de arte magnetica opus tripartium quo universa magnetis natura, eiusque in omnibus scientiis & artibus usus, nova medthodo explicatur, ac praeterae e viribus & prodigiosis effectibus magneticarum, aliarumque abditarum naturae motionum in elementis, lapidibus, plantis, animalibus, elucescentium, multa hucusque incognita natureae arcana, per physica, medica, chymica, & mathematica omnis generis experimenta recluduntur
Woodcut of a Dodo bird (Dronte)
1658 · De Indiae utriusque re naturali et medica
An oval engraving within a rectangular frame depicting a diverse assembly of birds in a landscape.
1658 · Alle de wercken
A scientific plate featuring thirteen illustrations of various water birds, including cormorants, gannets, and mergansers, with hand-colored details.
1660 · Jan Jonston — Naeukeurige beschryving van de natuur der viervoetige dieren (1660)
A scientific plate featuring twelve distinct bird species, including an Aracari and a four-legged 'monstrous' chicken.
1660 · Jan Jonston — Naeukeurige beschryving van de natuur der viervoetige dieren (1660)
A plate of nine hand-colored engravings of various birds, including a vulture, herons, and smaller songbirds.
1660 · Jan Jonston — Naeukeurige beschryving van de natuur der viervoetige dieren (1660)
Engraving of a hippopotamus on a shoreline with a maritime background.
1667 · Kircher: China Illustrata (1667)
A detailed engraving of a pineapple plant (Ananas) in a tropical landscape with palm trees, a monkey, and a human figure.
1667 · Kircher: China Illustrata (1667)
An engraving depicting the harvesting and preparation of large tropical fruits, likely jackfruit or durian, with figures in Chinese attire.
1667 · Kircher: China Illustrata (1667)
An allegorical engraving of the deity Pussa (Guanyin) emerging from a complex floral structure in the sea.
1667 · Kircher: China Illustrata (1667)
A complex astrological and medical diagram featuring a central human figure (Proteus) within concentric celestial spheres, surrounded by medicinal plants and zodiac signs.
1671 · The Great Art of Light and Shadow
A detailed landscape engraving featuring a variety of animals including an elephant, rhinoceros, and various birds, alongside human figures in exotic dress.
1672 · Theater of Earthly Creatures
A detailed engraving of a unicorn in a dynamic, galloping pose.
1672 · Theater of Earthly Creatures
A large-scale engraving depicting the entry of animals into Noah's Ark, featuring a massive rectangular structure and a diverse array of species.
1675 · Noah's Ark
A detailed engraving depicting the entry of animals into Noah's Ark, featuring Noah and his family directing a vast array of creatures including lions, camels, horses, and numerous birds towards the massive wooden struct
1675 · Noah's Ark
A detailed cross-section engraving of the three levels of Noah's Ark, showing various animals in stalls and human figures managing the vessel.
1675 · Noah's Ark
A composite plate of natural history specimens including botanical cross-sections, a bird of prey, fish, eels, shells, and various anomalous animal horns, with a large heraldic dedication cartouche.
1677 · The Natural History of Oxfordshire
A composite educational plate depicting various animals categorized by habitat: birds, insects, and aquatic life.
1678 · Vorpforte der Schul-Unterweisung
Engraving of a winged dragon with a coiled tail and bird-like head.
1678 · The Subterranean World Volume Two
Typus Sympathicus Microcosmi cum Megacosmo: An anatomical and astrological diagram of the human microcosm.
1678 · The Subterranean World Volume Two
A complex allegorical engraving titled 'TYPVS SYMPATHICVS MICROCOSMI CVM MEGACOSMO', depicting a central male figure whose internal organs are linked to a surrounding wheel of botanical and astrological symbols.
1678 · Mundus Subterraneus
Microscopic cross-section and longitudinal section of a vine branch.
1682 · The Anatomy of Plants (Vol. 2)
Detailed engraving of an Aurochs or Bifontes, a wild bull-like creature, leaning against a tree.
1684 · Old and New Prussia (with the pagan religion of the Old Prussians)
A vertical column of twelve woodcut illustrations depicting animals and natural phenomena used for phonetic alphabet instruction.
1685 · Orbis Sensualium Pictus (The Visible World in Pictures)
Botanical illustration of a passionflower (Passiflora) with leaves, tendrils, and flowers.
1686 · Jan Moninckx; Maria Moninckx — Moninckx Atlas, vol. 2 (1686)
Botanical illustration of the American Coral Tree (Arbor Coral Americana) featuring vibrant red flowers and large green leaves.
1686 · Jan Moninckx; Maria Moninckx — Moninckx Atlas, vol. 2 (1686)
Botanical illustration of Acacia similis (Bull-horn Acacia) showing bipinnate leaves, large thorns, and yellow flower spikes.
1686 · Jan Moninckx; Maria Moninckx — Moninckx Atlas, vol. 5 (1686)
A scientific plate featuring multiple microscopic observations, including a centipede, a fly, and various anatomical structures.
1687 · Anatomy or the Interior of Things