Medicine Print. CHOVIN. Blood Circulatory System.

CHOVIN, Jacques Anthony. Blood Circulatory System.

Mid-18th century

Etching on laid paper with watermark. 285 x 185 mm. Below the image, center: “TAB. A. N. 1” / I. A. Chovin Sculp.” Trace of a red seal on the lower inner margin and upper outer margin. On the verso, contemporary handwritten inscription “Doctor Weber in Buchsweiler.” Traces of two folds on the verso, good condition.

An extremely rare anatomical print depicting the veins of the human body in detail. Jacques Anthony Chovin, Lausanne 1720-1776, a Swiss-French engraver active in the mid- to late-18th century, is best known for his dramatic engraving of the 1744 edition of Mathieu Mérian's "Der Basler Totentanz" ("The Basel Dance of Death"). He also engraved several maps for the Swiss geographer Samuel Engel (1702-1784). He often signed his works with the initials "I. A. Chovin." This print was sent to Dr. Weber in Buchsweiler, the German name for the French town of Bouxwiller.