You are here

Mathematical Treasure: Robert Bénard's Mathematical Engravings

Author(s): 
Frank J. Swetz (The Pennsylvania State University)

French artist and craftsman Robert Bénard (1734–after 1777) produced at least 1800 plates for Diderot's and d'Alembert's famous Encyclopédie (1751–1772) as well as other works. These loose pages, showing various surveying instruments, are held by the Wellcome Library as no. 47858i and no. 47857i. They are made available via a Creative Commons License (CC BY 4.0).

Engraving of various surveying instruments by Robert Bénard.

Engraving of various surveying instruments by Robert Bénard.

The Library holds an additional plate from the same time period by an unidentified artist as no. 46695i. It shows a man using an inclinometer to measure a water tank.

Mid-18th century plate showing a man using an inclinometer.

Index to Mathematical Treasures

Frank J. Swetz (The Pennsylvania State University), "Mathematical Treasure: Robert Bénard's Mathematical Engravings," Convergence (September 2020)