Echinus Hyaena Autruche Dama - P. Lamy 1698

📜 Description
Antique engraving by P. Lamy, published by J. Certe in Lyon in 1698, depicting four different animal species arranged on a neutral scientific field. The plate belongs to the context of early modern zoological illustration, intended for descriptive and didactic purposes within a printed work on natural history. The composition presents four main subjects clearly separated: at the top a porcupine labeled “Echinus porcepi,” below on the left an ostrich (“Autruche”), on the right a hyena (“Hyaena”) shown attacking prey, and at the bottom a fallow deer (“Dama Daim”) lying on the ground. Each figure is rendered with attention to anatomical traits and posture, combining observational detail with a structured, classificatory layout. The inscriptions identify the species in Latin and French, guiding the reading of the image and confirming its encyclopedic function. The work holds documentary value as an example of late 17th-century scientific illustration, reflecting early attempts to catalog and visually standardize animal species through engraving.

📚 Historical-artistic note
P. Lamy operated within the sphere of scientific and religious publishing in late 17th-century France, producing engraved illustrations for educational and theological works. The publisher J. Certe of Lyon contributed to the dissemination of such material, combining textual scholarship with visual apparatus. Plates of this type were integral to early modern books, where imagery supported the classification and transmission of knowledge about the natural world.

🧾 Technical sheet
Type: antique print
Author / Maker: P. Lamy
Publisher / Printer: J. Certe
Place: Lyon
Period: 1698
Material: paper
Technique: etching
Subject / Title: Echinus porcepi – Hyaena – Autruche – Dama Daim
Dimensions: sheet 18.5 × 25 cm; image 16 × 21.5 cm
Inscriptions: “Echinus porcepi”, “Hyaena”, “Autruche”, “Dama Daim”

🔍 Condition Report
Overall in excellent condition, with clear and legible impression; paper well preserved with light signs consistent with age; blank verso.