1657 Authentic antique engraving, horses, gilt framed artwork

An authentic 1657 rare original copperplate engraving by the renowned natural historian John Jonston, published in Amsterdam by Joannes Jacobus Schipper as Plate 16 from Historia Naturalis Animalium. The engraving depicts two finely detailed studies of horses, including a spirited rearing stallion and a standing long-maned horse, executed with the precision and elegance characteristic of seventeenth-century scientific illustration. Professionally presented in a decorative gilt frame with charcoal matting, this museum-quality antique engraving is ready to hang and represents a remarkable piece of early natural history publishing.

John Jonston (1603–1675), also known by the Latinised name Johannes Jonstonus, was a Polish-born physician, scholar and one of the foremost natural historians of the seventeenth century. Educated in Scotland, England and the Netherlands, Jonston combined contemporary scientific knowledge with classical sources to produce his influential encyclopaedic works on the natural world. His monumental Historia Naturalis Animalium, published in Amsterdam during the mid-seventeenth century, became one of the era’s most important illustrated natural history references. Original engravings from Jonston’s publications are highly sought after today for their historical significance, exceptional craftsmanship and enduring decorative appeal.