Paris street scenes, 19th Century

Title: Tourelle au coin de la rue du Temple et de la rue Ste Croix de la Bretonnerie
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1870s
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 2ème et 3ème arrondissements
Format: dessin : aquarelle, plume et encre ; 24,2 x 12 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie

Title: Vieille enseigne à l'ours rue du faugourg St Antoine n° 95
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1894
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 11ème Arrondissement
Format: dess. sur calque appliqué : plume et encre, aquarelle ; 24,4 x 15,5 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie

Title: Rue Mondétour
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1893
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 1er et 2ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur papier bistre : encre, plume, aquarelle ; 21,6 x 11,7 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie

Title: Paris Montmartre : 18è Clignancourt
Designed by: Auguste Louis Marie Ottin
Date: 1883
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 17ème et 18ème arrondissements
Format: dessin : crayon, aquarelle, plume et encre ; 35 x 25 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie

Title: La rue St Bon, escalier qui conduit à la rue de la Verrerie
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1891
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 2ème et 3ème arrondissements
Format: dessin sur calque appliqué : lavis d'encre brune, crayon, aquarelle ; 35,7 x 19,9 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie

Title: La rue des 7 voies au coin de la rue de l'école polythecnique
Designed by: Jules-Adolphe Chauvet
Date: 1880
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France)
Format: dessin : crayon, aquarelle, rehauts de gouache ; 27,1 x 12,8 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie

Title: De la porte St Denis à la porte St Martin
Designed by: Vincent Blatter
Date: 1800s
Collection Chauvet. Dessins sur Paris et ses environs, Paris (France) -- 2ème et 3ème arrondissements
Format: dessin : aquarelle ; 34,5 x 22,6 cm
Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie

Most of these aquarelle sketches were created by Jules-Adolphe Chauvet (1828-1906), a French draughtsman, printmaker and illustrator. 

There are more than 1400 sketches in the Chauvet Collection, available online at BnF's digital library, Gallica (digitised and placed online in May 2012) ::link provided::

The vast majority of the collection was commissioned from Chauvet by a rich benefactor, Auguste Lesouëf, and the drawings were produced in all of the twenty municipalities (arrondissements) of Paris, although with some specific districts covered more extensively than others.

Creatures from medieval Bestiaries, 12th Century

The basilisk is included among the reptiles in the bestiary. A basilisk is an exceedingly dangerous animal, as its scent can annihilate almost anything, and its gaze is terrible enough to cause the death of any man foolish enough to look at it. BUT it has an antidote (cont. reading below...).

The leucrota is somewhat confusingly described as having the rear parts of a stag, and the chest and legs of a lion, but with cloven hooves.  Its most distinctive characteristic is its charming wide-mouthed grin, which stretches across its head.  Its teeth are single, continuous pieces of bone, and it is capable of imitating the sound of a human voice.

The name of this beast is variously given as anphivena, amphisbaena, amfivena, and many other variations.  But the true spelling of its name is not the least of its mysteries; the exact nature of the amphivena’s form was also a source of considerable uncertainty - See more at british library amphivena

The manticore is a fearsome beast indeed, and one that is also apparently vulnerable to the whims of the various artists attempting to portray it. Bartholomaeus Angelicus describes this animal by saying that ‘among all the beasts of the earth is none found more cruel, nor of more wonderly shape’

A bestiary, or "Bestiarum vocabulum" is a compendium of beasts. Originating in the Ancient world, bestiaries were made popular in the Middle Ages in illustrated volumes that described various animals, birds and even rocks. The natural history and illustration of each beast was usually accompanied by a moral lesson. This reflected the belief that the world itself was the Word of God, and that every living thing had its own special meaning. For example, the pelican, which was believed to tear open its breast to bring its young to life with its own blood, was a living representation of Jesus. 

The bestiary, then, is also a reference to the symbolic language of animals in Western Christian art and literature.

Probably one of my favourites is the Basilisk (first illustration), very dangerous but  vulnerable to the weasel, which can pursue the basilisk into its hiding hole and kill it.  In the bestiary text, much is made of the example of the basilisk; the writer takes the opportunity to expound on the nature of evil embodied in this horrible creature.  He assures us that no matter how frightening an animal might be, ‘the creator of all has made nothing for which there is not an antidote’.  So take heart, and keep your weasels close!

I found all illustrations at British Library digitalization proyect. They have an amazing collection of Medieval Bestiaries from all Europe. At least I could investigate the following 4 manuscripts:

• Harley MS 3244 (direct link to the manuscript provided), I found here the illustration about the amphivena (the "double-headed green dragon"). Its on folia 62 right. Also found the "leonine manticore" killing a man (last illustration) on this same manuscript

• Royal MS 2 B VII Amazing fight of 2 amphivenas, Detail of a bas-de-page scene from the Queen Mary Psalter, England (London?), 1310 – 1320

• Found the Leucrota at Royal MS 12 F XIII, folia 23 (I call it the " Simpsons Leucrota", looks like a Simpsons character :)

• Found the basilisk killing a man with its gaze and being attacked by a weasel at Royal MS 12 C XIX, was on folia 63r... 

Some curious things about bestiaries... The Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci also made his own bestiary. Even Jorge Luis Borges wrote a contemporary bestiary of sorts, the Book of Imaginary Beings, (Orig. "Manual de zoología fantástica") which collects imaginary beasts from bestiaries and fiction... (direct link to Amazon provided, costs around 15 USD).