Bidspirit auction | Martinet - Platypus

Martinet - Platypus - This originally hand-colored natural history engraving is from Joannes Florentius Martinet's Katechismus der natuur, verkort en (...) verbeterd door J.A. Uilkens or Catechism of Nature . The work was published in Amsterdam by Johannes Allart in 1809. Joannes Florentius Martinet (1729-1795) was a Dutch theologian, philosopher, and author. He believed that the study of nature was essential to understanding the hand of God in the world. Marieke van Delft writes that ”Martinet’s books have had a great influence — especially his Katechismus der natuur (with more than 20 English editions published up to 1850). His was a ‘household name’ ... [and] central to the education of the Dutch nobility and upper classes throughout the latter half of the 18th century and beyond.” (Public Domain Review, The Writings of J.F. Martinet) Paper Size: ~ 10 1/4” by 8 1/2” (Fold Out)