Symbol of the philosophy of the Enlightenment, the generous work initiated by Diderot and D’Alembert consists of 28 volumes, 11 of which are dedicated to engraved plates. Of course, the horse is present in all its forms. Cross-cutting theme par excellence, Mennessier de la Lance also gave some advice to consult the Encyclopedia correctly: “The Encyclopedia of Diderot and d’Alembert contains numerous articles and several plates relating to the horse and cavalry. […] Unfortunately, your research is quite laborious. In fact, most of the details that make up each topic are scattered throughout the book, each in its own alphabetical order. One of the most typical examples is the word: Horse. There are more than 100 articles related to this word, so you have to look in different places for the words gait, head, teeth, bars, flanks, giblets, hooves, legs, etc. to be looked for in different places.

Therefore, to search the Encyclopedia it is essential to consult the Table. For each word that is searched, all the articles related to it appear in a clear and methodical way, indicating the volume, the page and the column where it is found.

Perhaps the authors have realized this serious drawback, as it is less noticeable in the Supplement. Thus, the word Hipiatry, found there, forms a single complete article of more than 60 pages.”

The Encyclopedia continues to be a remarkable work and always interesting to consult, especially thanks to the quality of its plates. Those dedicated to horsemanship are from Harguiniez (1738? -18 ..?) And have been digitized by the French National Library.

Know more:

• The Encyclopedia of Diderot and D’Alembert