Sale 215 Lot 224

Two Lithographic Plates from Heinrich Rudolf Schinz's "Naturgeschichte des Menschen," Zürich, J. Honneggersche Lithographische Anstalt circa 1845 Two lithographic plates, numbered 27 and 27b, are from Heinrich Rudolf Schinz's landmark ethnographic work "Naturgeschichte des Menschen der verschiedenen Rassen und Stämme" (Natural History of Man of the Various Races and Tribes), published in Zürich in 1845 by the J. Honneggersche Lithographische Anstalt. Schinz, a Swiss naturalist and zoologist, compiled this ambitious survey of the world's peoples drawing on the most current exploration accounts and scientific sources of his day, and the plates — captioned in both German and French to reach a broad European audience — reflect the period's intense scholarly and popular fascination with indigenous cultures encountered through voyages of discovery. The left plate depicts a fully tattooed warrior from Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands, his entire body adorned with the intricate geometric and figurative tattoo patterns that had captivated European explorers since the late 18th century, shown holding a ceremonial club and a woven fan. The right plate presents three women from Michoacán, Mexico, dressed in regional costume of blouse and layered skirts, rendered with ethnographic attention to dress and bearing. Unframed. Each sheet: 15 x 11 inches
$200-300