Poem and illustration from Le Labyrinthe de Versailles (ca. 1675), a book of etchings of the hydraulic sculptures in the labyrinth of Versailles by Sébastien Leclerc, illuminated by Jacques Bailly. The fountains and waterworks depicted were designed by a team of sculptors and engineers which included Claude Denis.
Featured on PDR in the essay Beast in the Blood: Jean Denis and the “Transfusion Affair”
During the late 1660s in Paris, transfusing the blood of calves and lambs into human veins held the promise of renewed youth and vigour. Peter Sahlins explores Jean Denis’ controversial experiments driven by his belief in the moral superiority of animal blood: a substance that could help redeem the fallen state of humanity.
Also appearing in the essay…
Other works by the artists in the archive…
The Fox and the Crow
Artist
Date
1675
From
Le Labyrinthe de Versailles
