Original Drawing 1860 Fontaine De Héron, Hydraulics, Amédée Percevault Bookseller, Saint-flovier

“Fontaine de Héron”, 1860. Indian ink, wash and watercolor on paper. 46 x 30 cm. Damaged upper edge, traces and light stains especially near the upper and lower edges, pinholes in the corners. Dated lower left: “St. Flovier April 20, 1860.” Signed lower right: “Amédée Percevault. 1860. » Drawing representing a Heron fountain. A Heron's Fountain is a closed-circuit hydraulic machine designed by Heron of Alexandria, a 1st-century Greek engineer and mathematician. This fountain, which makes it possible to artificially obtain a jet of water for several hours, is made up of two glass globes joined vertically by two brass tubes, and topped by a bowl. The model represented in this drawing dates from the 19th century. Copies can be found in scientific museum collections. The author of the drawing is Amédée Percevault, a bookseller who worked in Saint-Flovier (Indre-et-Loire) (Journal général de l'impressionerie et de la bibliography, 2nd series, volume XXI, Paris, 1877, p. 440: “Amédée Percevault-Lechipre, bookseller in Saint-Flovier, replaces his father, June 26, 1877”). Ref. EB-1587