Green man holding a firework, 1635. Engrave

Green man holding a firework, 1635. Engraved title plate taken from the second book of John Bate's 'The Mysteries of Nature and Art' (1635), showing a representation of a green man walking with a handheld firework. This heavily illustrated book contains the earliest British representation of a kite (and one of the earliest in Europe), and was one of the first British publications to have a complete section on fireworks. It details such diverse subjects as water works and drawing and painting, and features an early illustration of a zoetrope.