Vessels and Olfactory Nerves of the Nose, Antique Hirschfeld Anatomy Print, 1866

This antique Hirschfeld anatomy print of the vessels and olfactory nerves of the nose is Plate 88 from Hirschfeld and Leveille's Nevrologie atlas, an original hand-colored lithograph published in Paris by G. Masson in 1866. The external nose is drawn in profile three times, showing in turn the arteries, the veins and the nerves. Sagittal sections of the nasal cavity show the arteries of the mucous membrane and the olfactory nerve filaments spreading from the cribriform plate down the septum and the lateral wall.

The plate comes from the atlas to Ludovic Hirschfeld's Nevrologie et Esthesiologie, the second edition of his treatise and iconography of the human nervous system and the organs of sense, published in Paris by G. Masson in 1866. Every figure was drawn from life by J. B. Leveille directly from Hirschfeld's own dissections, and the sheet was printed by Lemercier of the rue de Seine. The technique is lithography, and the coloring is original hand color.

Leveille's plates are among the most admired anatomical illustrations of the nineteenth century. They are exact enough to teach from, yet drawn with a restraint that keeps them beautiful rather than merely clinical, and a Hirschfeld anatomy print of this kind will interest collectors of scientific illustration and the history of medicine. This hand-colored lithograph would suit an ear, nose and throat practice, a study or a library, and it works well hung in a series with other plates on the nose from the same atlas.

Condition is good. The sheet shows light age toning, scattered foxing and minor marginal marks. There is slight staining and wear along the right edge, with faint handling creases. The toning is ordinary for paper of this age. Please review the images for further condition details.

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