Nature print of oak leaves
Date
26 March 1675
Creator
Unknown, Artist
Object type
Archive reference number
Manuscript page number
p9
Material
Dimensions
height (page): 204mm
width (page): 154mm
width (page): 154mm
Subject
Description
In a letter by Antoni van Leeuwenhoek to Henry Oldenburg.
These are the impressions or nature prints of two oak leaves. Leeuwenhoek uses them to explain which part he took to observe under his microscope (part AE). His letter also included the drawings of the sections (EL/L1/13/005).
These are the impressions or nature prints of two oak leaves. Leeuwenhoek uses them to explain which part he took to observe under his microscope (part AE). His letter also included the drawings of the sections (EL/L1/13/005).
Object history
In the University Library of Leipzig (Nachlass 135), two leaves of drawings are kept, which fairly correspond with two out of the three leaves that go with this letter, representing the section of a vein of an oak-leaf and two oak-leaves. The Leipzig copy is approximately the reflection of the London drawing. The lettering is slightly different. Judging by the handwriting, the inscription is by Constantijn Huygens. The drawing of the transverse section of a vein of an oak-leaf, kept in London and in Leipzig, as well as the figure of the leg of a louse are in pencil. The figures of oak-leaves are ink-impressions. (Alle de brieven van Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, ed. by a committee of Dutch scientists, 17 vols [ongoing] (Amsterdam: Swets & Zeitlinger, 1939- ), I, 276-95 (letter 17).)
Related fellows
Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1632 - 1723, Dutch) , Naturalist
Henry Oldenburg (1612 - 1677, German) , Scientific correspondent
Henry Oldenburg (1612 - 1677, German) , Scientific correspondent
Associated place