Joannes Jonstonus; (Jon Jonston) (1603 – 1675) was a Polish scholar and physician, descended from Scottish nobility and closely connected to the Polish Leszczyński magnates. In 1628 he travelled to and studied botany and medicine at the University of Cambridge.
In 1625 he returned to Poland and until 1628 he took the position of a tutor in the house of the Kurtzbach-Zawadski family in Leszno, where he was an active member of the community of Czech Brethren. In 1657 he published Historiae Naturalis de Quadrupedibus (later translated and released as ‘A description of the nature of four-footed beasts: with their figures engraven in brass’. It includes 80 engraved plates of both real and fanciful beasts. The copperplate engravings were by Mathæus Merian, the Younger and colored later.
Although Jonstonus’ ‘Natural History’ was a popular book, going through many editions in Holland and Germany in the 17th century, it was filled with fanciful plagiarizations of the works of Konrad Gesner (Swiss) and Ulisse Aldrovandi ( Italian ) – early naturalists.
Size (in): 13.75 x 8
