unexpectedly dazzling: 17th century botanical drawings of magnified roots

These are 17th century botanical images of magnified sections of plant roots, from around the time, I'm assuming, of the earliest developments of magnifying instruments. Coolness of the science aside, I am imagining these as images on silk scarves, or as a series, printed on canvases. So beautiful. Reminds me a bit of this post that lena had up a while ago....

From The anatomy of plants. With an idea of a philosophical history of plants. By Nehemiah Grew, 1682. (love the name nehemiah. so old testament! up there with Obadiah for most beautiful old new england names...)


& happy friday!... xp