Description: This print originates from "Receuil de Planches, pour la Nouvelle Edition du Dictionnaire Raisonne", an accompanying plate volume for a quarto size Diderot / d'Alembert Encyclopedia ed., which was published in Geneva by Pellet, ca. 1779. It is based on the original 'Encyclopedie ou Dictionnaire raisonne des sciences, des arts et des metiers [...].' which was published under the direction of Diderot and d'Alembert, with 17 volumes of text and 11 volumes of plates between 1751 and 1772. It contained 72,000 articles written by more than 140 contributors. This encyclopdia was a massive reference work for the arts and sciences, as well as a means to propagate the ideas of the French Enlightment. The impact of this encyclopedia was enormous.
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