Coffee Mills - Diderot

"Distillateur Liquoriste Limonadier, Moulur du Cafe" - Plate 4

Beautiful 18th Century copperplate engraving from Diderot's encylopedia showing three types of coffee mills.

$50

The Encyclopedie, ou Dictionnaire Raisonne des Sciences, des Arts et des Metiers was published in Paris between 1762-1777. A masterpiece of the enlightment, it set out all the knowledge of the day, and was a first attempt to document the techniques of mechanical production for objects used in everyday life. Scholars from around the world, including Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson submitted chapters.

Denis Diderot was a French philosopher, and man of letters, and the chief editor of the L'Encyclopédie, one of the principal achievements of the Age of Enlightenment. He was a a friend of the great minds of his age including Goethe, Rousseau, and Hume. A freethinker, Diderot challenged the authority of the Church and criticized the French system of government.

Engraved by Robert Benard and signed in the plate by the engraver (Benard Fecit).

Robert Benard engraved most of the plates for Diderot's Encyclopedia. He was also an engraver of maps whose work appeared in the French editions of "Cook's Voyages."

Condition: Very good. Slightly rough edges. One spot lower right outside of platemark.

Dimensions: 8.5 X 11.75 inches