Elephantographia curiosa sive elephantis descriptio multis selectis observationis physicis, medicis et incundis historiis referta.
284 Seiten Johann Heinrich Grosch,. Erfurt.
Inhalt:
The first part of the work is devoted to fossil remains of elephants, the anatomy of elephants, their lives and habits, and the differences between Indian and African elephants. Much of this section concerns elephant teeth and tusks, their properties, use in art, etc. The second part deals with elephants' moral virtues and attributes, such as sympathy, gratitude, intelligence, courage, etc. The third part is devoted to the use of elephants in war, hunting, construction, etc.The frontispiece was designed by T.J. Hildebrandt and engraved by Jakob Petri, an Erfurt engraver; the plates are signed by the latter only. They depict a variety of scenes involving elephants, some being depictions of historical events, others showing elephants in their natural habitats engaged in various activities, such as feeding, washing, etc. The folding plate depicts elephant anatomy, with skeleton, skull, internal organs, dissected trunk, etc.
Der aus Erfurt stamende Georg Christoph Petri ab/von Hartenfels (1633-1718) war Arzt, Naturwissenschaftler, Hochschullehrer und Lokalpolitiker.