Credit: © The Royal Society
Image number: RS.9445
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Blue bottle fly
Date
1665
Creator
Unknown, Engraver
After
Robert Hooke (1635 - 1703, British) , Natural Philosopher
Object type
Library reference
RCN 45230
Material
Technique
Dimensions
height (print): 305mm
width (print): 183mm
width (print): 183mm
Subject
Content object
Description
Microscopic study of a blue bottle fly calliphora vomitoria, providing a sectional view of its head, showing the compound eyes, antenna and mouth, its thorax and wings, its abdomen and its legs.
Inscribed above: ‘Schem XXVI’
Written in the associated text: ‘All the hinder part of its body is cover’d with a most curious blue shining armour, lookinh exactly like a polish’d piece of steel brought to that blue colour by annealing, all which armour is v ery thick bestuck with abundance of tapering bristles, such as grow on its back, as is visible enough by the Figure.’
Plate 26 from Robert Hooke’s Micrographia: or some physiological descriptions of minute bodies made by magnifying glasses with observations and inquiries thereupon (1665), the first fully-illustrated book on the topic of microscopy. In the preface Hooke asserts that he had discovered ‘a new visible World’.
Robert Hooke (1635-1703) British natural philosopher was a founding member of the Royal Society, elected in 1663. Before his career with the Royal Society, Hooke had been apprenticed to painter Peter Lely (1618-1680), where he learned to draw and paint. Though he did not engrave the images in Micrographia himself they were engraved after his illustrations.
Inscribed above: ‘Schem XXVI’
Written in the associated text: ‘All the hinder part of its body is cover’d with a most curious blue shining armour, lookinh exactly like a polish’d piece of steel brought to that blue colour by annealing, all which armour is v ery thick bestuck with abundance of tapering bristles, such as grow on its back, as is visible enough by the Figure.’
Plate 26 from Robert Hooke’s Micrographia: or some physiological descriptions of minute bodies made by magnifying glasses with observations and inquiries thereupon (1665), the first fully-illustrated book on the topic of microscopy. In the preface Hooke asserts that he had discovered ‘a new visible World’.
Robert Hooke (1635-1703) British natural philosopher was a founding member of the Royal Society, elected in 1663. Before his career with the Royal Society, Hooke had been apprenticed to painter Peter Lely (1618-1680), where he learned to draw and paint. Though he did not engrave the images in Micrographia himself they were engraved after his illustrations.
Associated place