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Jan Ladmiral (1698-1773). [six mezzotints], Leiden [and] Amsterdam, 1736-1741.
The texts of the following short six works are are bound together because of the remarkable illustrations by Jan Ladmiral. Born in Normandy, Ladmiral and his younger brother were pupils of the German artist Le Blon while they were all working in London. Le Blon had invented a secret process for color mezzotinting which he taught to Ladmiral, but, because of carelessness in making the plates, little came of the process in Le Blon's hands and only one or two of his plates are known. Ladmiral, however, returned to the Continent and presented the invention as being new and his own, offering to make the colored anatomic plates for Albinus, who commissioned him to make the six plates that appear in this collection. They form the first series of full-color anatomical copperplates ever made and are extremely scarce. The works are listed below under the names of the artists who supplied the original drawings from which the mezzotints were fashioned.

 

Bernhard Siegrfried Albinus (1697-1770). Dissertatio de arteries et venis intestinorum hominis. Leiden [and] Amsterdam, 1736.

 

______________. Dissertatio secunda. De sede et caussa coloris Aethiopum et caetorum hominum. Leiden [and] Amsterdam, 1737.

 

Frederik Ruysch (1638-1731). Icon durae matris in concava superficie visae. Leiden [and] Amsterdam, 1738.

 

______________. Icon durae matris in convexa superficie visae. Leiden [and] Amsterdam, 1738.

 

______________. Icon membranae vasculosae. Leiden [and] Amsterdam, 1738.

 

Jan Ladmiral (1698-1773). Effigies penis human. Amsterdam, 1741.

Title Page for Dissertatio de arteries et venis...

A portion of the inestine with the arteries shown in red and the veins in blue

Title page for Dissertatio Secunda de sede et caussa...

The skin and nails of a woman, illustrating Ablinus' text on skin coloring

Title Page for Icon durae matris in concava...

The dura mater, original drawing by Frederik Ruysch

Title Page for Dissertatio secunda. De sede et caussa...

The dura mater, original drawing by Frederik Ruysch

Title Page for Icon membranae vasculosae

Vasculature of the acetabulum, original drawing by Frederik Ruysch

Title Page for Effigies penis human

Longitudinal section of the penis and testicles