Operating Chair Profile, Diderot Chirurgie Supplement Plate 5, circa 1778

An original antique copper engraving, uncolored, showing the operating chair in a single side profile with no figure numbers. The upright back, m, is padded and topped by a fitting, 11, carrying a horizontal bar, 12, which is drawn again in dotted outline, 13, in a raised position, with a toothed rack, 10, running down behind it to x; the seat carries two thick cushions, the arm a padded cushion, n, and two pear shaped padded rests, 7, stand on adjustable stems at the front. A curved brace, q, sweeps down from the seat to the rear foot, and the frame stands on small rollers with screws, a and b. Dotted lines show how the chair converts: a quarter circle of radiating lines traces the back swinging down until it lies flat on its own leg, x, a padded extension, k, slides out from the front of the seat, and the footboard, h, is drawn in two positions. The border rises in a small step at the top center to make room for the fittings above the chair.

The plate number "Suppl. Pl. 5." is lettered vertically at the right, the section "Chirurgie." below the border, and the page number "148" at the lower left. The scale is lettered "Echelle de 2 Pieds de Roi." At the lower right, just under the border, the engraver's mark is lettered "D. in."

The Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert was accompanied by volumes of engraved plates, the Recueil de planches. In the Livorno edition published by Giuseppe Aubert the plate volumes appeared between 1771 and 1778, with a supplement volume of plates in 1778 to 1779, the source of this plate. The Chirurgie plates set out surgical instruments, bandages and apparatus, keyed to an explanation in the text volume.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.