The Temple of Muses

Mythological Figures and Fables

The Chaos or the Origin of the World

Transformation of Cyguns into a Swan and Phaeton's Sisters into poplar trees

Bellerophon fights the Chimaera

Achelous in the shape of a Bull is vanquished by Hercules

Amphion builds the walls of Thebes by the Music of his Lyre

Arion preserved by a Dolphin

Atlas supports the Heavens on his shoulders

The Fall of Icarus

Glaucus changed into a Sea-God

The Moon and Endymion

The Dioscuri or Castor and Pollux the Guardians of Mariners

Ulysses and his companions avoid the charms of the Sirens

Hercules' Combat with the Hydra

Sisyphus's stone

Ixion's wheel

Hell

Bernard Picart (or Picard) (1673-1733) was a French book illustrator and one of the outstanding engravers from the first decades of the 18th century. His most famous work - see: Designer Religion - was an enormous compendium of the world's religions.

In 'Neueröffneter Musen-Tempel', a collection of mythological fables and stories (most notably from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses') is presented, accompanied by sixty copperplate engravings by Picart. The illustrations are superior in quality, even as they appeared in 1733 in the fading light of the Baroque tradition. The fabulous ornate border patterns lend the compositions something of a formal quality like framed paintings; indeed, Picart drew inspiration for a number of his engravings from mid-17th century works by the Rubens student, Abraham van Diepenbeeck. But the majority of the designs are by Picart himself.

Motives listed for Picart's illustration include: Alcyone, Alpheus, Andromeda, Apollo, Arethusa, Argonauts, Argus, Aristaeus, Artemis, Calais, Cassandra, Castor, Ceyx, Cycnus, Deucalion, Dioscuri, Echo, Enceladus, Endymion, Eos, Eurynome, Giants, Glaucus, Harpies, Heliades, Hera, Hermaphroditus, Hermes, House of Hypnos, Io, Iphis, Leander, Leucothoe, Lycaon, Memnon, Niobe, Niobids, Oeneus, Palladium, Pan, Perseus, Phaethon, Phineus, Polydeuces, Proteus, Pygmalion, Pyrrha, River Gods, Salmacis, Selene, Semele, Syrinx, Tantalus, The Flood, Tithonus, Trojan War, Troy, Underworld, Zetes, Zeus [source]

'The Temple of Muses' was published in France and Germany simultaneously in 1733 and includes captions in English, French, German and Dutch below each illustration. The images above are from a 1754 edition published in Amsterdam.

• 'Neueröffneter Musen-Tempel: Welcher das Allermerkwürdigste' (or, approximately/expanded: 'The Temple of the Muses contains mythological tales and fables of ancient authors, especially from Ovid's Metamorphoses, which are provided with comments and interpretations') was recently placed online at Ruprecht-Karls-Universität in Heidelberg. [click anything below 'Inhalt' and then 'Vorschau' for thumbnail pages] {$12.5K!}
• Previously: Designer Religion / Artcyclopedia entry.

The Temple of Muses

Mythological Figures and Fables

The Chaos or the Origin of the World

Transformation of Cyguns into a Swan and Phaeton's Sisters into poplar trees

Bellerophon fights the Chimaera

Achelous in the shape of a Bull is vanquished by Hercules

Amphion builds the walls of Thebes by the Music of his Lyre

Arion preserved by a Dolphin

Atlas supports the Heavens on his shoulders

The Fall of Icarus

Glaucus changed into a Sea-God

The Moon and Endymion

The Dioscuri or Castor and Pollux the Guardians of Mariners

Ulysses and his companions avoid the charms of the Sirens

Hercules' Combat with the Hydra

Sisyphus's stone

Ixion's wheel

Hell

Bernard Picart (or Picard) (1673-1733) was a French book illustrator and one of the outstanding engravers from the first decades of the 18th century. His most famous work - see: Designer Religion - was an enormous compendium of the world's religions.

In 'Neueröffneter Musen-Tempel', a collection of mythological fables and stories (most notably from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses') is presented, accompanied by sixty copperplate engravings by Picart. The illustrations are superior in quality, even as they appeared in 1733 in the fading light of the Baroque tradition. The fabulous ornate border patterns lend the compositions something of a formal quality like framed paintings; indeed, Picart drew inspiration for a number of his engravings from mid-17th century works by the Rubens student, Abraham van Diepenbeeck. But the majority of the designs are by Picart himself.

Motives listed for Picart's illustration include: Alcyone, Alpheus, Andromeda, Apollo, Arethusa, Argonauts, Argus, Aristaeus, Artemis, Calais, Cassandra, Castor, Ceyx, Cycnus, Deucalion, Dioscuri, Echo, Enceladus, Endymion, Eos, Eurynome, Giants, Glaucus, Harpies, Heliades, Hera, Hermaphroditus, Hermes, House of Hypnos, Io, Iphis, Leander, Leucothoe, Lycaon, Memnon, Niobe, Niobids, Oeneus, Palladium, Pan, Perseus, Phaethon, Phineus, Polydeuces, Proteus, Pygmalion, Pyrrha, River Gods, Salmacis, Selene, Semele, Syrinx, Tantalus, The Flood, Tithonus, Trojan War, Troy, Underworld, Zetes, Zeus [source]

'The Temple of Muses' was published in France and Germany simultaneously in 1733 and includes captions in English, French, German and Dutch below each illustration. The images above are from a 1754 edition published in Amsterdam.

• 'Neueröffneter Musen-Tempel: Welcher das Allermerkwürdigste' (or, approximately/expanded: 'The Temple of the Muses contains mythological tales and fables of ancient authors, especially from Ovid's Metamorphoses, which are provided with comments and interpretations') was recently placed online at Ruprecht-Karls-Universität in Heidelberg. [click anything below 'Inhalt' and then 'Vorschau' for thumbnail pages] {$12.5K!}
• Previously: Designer Religion / Artcyclopedia entry.

Crustacean Atlas

Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst (1743-1807) was a German naturalist and entomologist as well as a theologian and chaplain for the Prussian army.

Herbst was best known for helping Carl Jablonsky attempt to survey all known beetles (Order Colyoptera). The effort resulted in the massive, but still incomplete 'Naturgeschichte der in-und Ausländischen Insekten' (1785-1806) (see: i, ii)

The title of present interest - 'Versuch einer Naturgeschichte der Krabben und Krebse' ([An attempt at] The Natural History of Crabs and Lobsters) - was released in instalments between about 1782 and the mid-1790s. There were three volumes of text and an atlas consisting of more than sixty hand-coloured engravings. It appears various editions were issued before 1800, some coloured, some not and some coloured later : all having an impact on the auction price today (ranging from, say, $6K to $18K).

Herbst's crab and lobster book was - as far as I can tell - the first comprehensive work on the crustaceans and definitely included descriptions and illustrations of previously unknown species. It is still regarded as a primary source in the field.

• The images in this post from 'Versuch einer Naturgeschichte der Krabben und Krebse' were sourced from Berlin's Humboldt University (thumbnail page).
• A pdf can be obtained from the Biodiversity Heritage Library of Europe.
• The series can also be accessed from Göttinger Digitalisierungszentrum (different colouring/style).
• Göttinger Digitalisierungszentrum has a number of other works by JFW Herbst available via their Animal Database.
• Other brief sources: one, two, three, four.
• via Scientific Illustration tumblr.

JFW Herbst titles on Amazon

Crustacean Atlas

Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst (1743-1807) was a German naturalist and entomologist as well as a theologian and chaplain for the Prussian army.

Herbst was best known for helping Carl Jablonsky attempt to survey all known beetles (Order Colyoptera). The effort resulted in the massive, but still incomplete 'Naturgeschichte der in-und Ausländischen Insekten' (1785-1806) (see: i, ii)

The title of present interest - 'Versuch einer Naturgeschichte der Krabben und Krebse' ([An attempt at] The Natural History of Crabs and Lobsters) - was released in instalments between about 1782 and the mid-1790s. There were three volumes of text and an atlas consisting of more than sixty hand-coloured engravings. It appears various editions were issued before 1800, some coloured, some not and some coloured later : all having an impact on the auction price today (ranging from, say, $6K to $18K).

Herbst's crab and lobster book was - as far as I can tell - the first comprehensive work on the crustaceans and definitely included descriptions and illustrations of previously unknown species. It is still regarded as a primary source in the field.

• The images in this post from 'Versuch einer Naturgeschichte der Krabben und Krebse' were sourced from Berlin's Humboldt University (thumbnail page).
• A pdf can be obtained from the Biodiversity Heritage Library of Europe.
• The series can also be accessed from Göttinger Digitalisierungszentrum (different colouring/style).
• Göttinger Digitalisierungszentrum has a number of other works by JFW Herbst available via their Animal Database.
• Other brief sources: one, two, three, four.
• via Scientific Illustration tumblr.

JFW Herbst titles on Amazon