16th-century leaf with two illustrations, one of a chameleon and one of a turtle-like African beast from Ambroise Paré's Monsters

Paris: Chez G Boun, 1585. Unbound. Very good. This leaf (M.XCI-M.L) measures approximately 8.25" x 12.5" and came from the 1585 printing of Les Oeuvres d'Ambroise . . . Des Monstres. The images are strong. The leaf has some minor soiling and edge-wear. The two images on this leaf show (roughly translated from Paré's French) 1) a beast round like a tortoise but with a yellow cross on its back, one mouth, one belly, many legs, and four eyes and ears at ends of the cross so it is able to see and hear in all directions and 2) a chameleon whose color is very wonderful for he can change it to match his surroundings. Paré, the French royal surgeon for many years, was the preeminent surgeon of his time and is considered one of the fathers of surgery and modern forensic pathology as well as a pioneer of surgical techniques, battlefield medicine, and prosthetic design. He additionally had a scholarly interest in natural history, especially reports of "miraculous" or "monstrous" creatures and malformed births.