Pierre Lyonnet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pierre Lyonnet
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Pierre Lyonnet
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| Born | 21 July 1706 Maastricht, Netherlands
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| Died | 10 January 1789 (aged 82) The Hague, Netherlands
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | naturalist. |
Pierre Lyonnet (born 21 July 1706 – died 10 January 1789) was a talented Dutch scientist. He was also an amazing artist and engraver. Lyonnet became famous for his detailed studies of insects.
He loved collecting things. He had a huge collection of seashells, which were very popular at the time. He also collected paintings, including a famous one by Vermeer called Woman Reading a Letter.
About Pierre Lyonnet
Pierre Lyonnet learned from famous artists like Hendrik van Limborch. He also studied with Carel de Moor and Jan Wandelaar.
He was very good with languages. Lyonnet could speak more than eight different languages! Because of this, he worked as a secretary and translator for the Dutch government.
Lyonnet first studied to become a lawyer. But he loved nature and science more. So, he decided to focus on drawing and engraving natural history subjects. He also became very skilled at dissection. This means carefully taking apart animals to study their bodies.
His Work with Insects
Lyonnet helped illustrate books for other scientists. For example, he drew pictures for a book about insects by Friedrich Christian Lesser in 1742. He also worked on a book about tiny water creatures called polyps by Abraham Trembley in 1744.
Later, Lyonnet wanted to do his own research. He decided to write a book about the anatomy of insects. His first big book came out in 1760. It was called Anatomical treatise of the caterpillar which corrodes the wood of Willow. In this book, he drew an amazing 4,041 different muscles of the caterpillar!
Some people doubted his work. They thought his drawings were too perfect to be real. To show them he was right, Lyonnet added a new section to his book. In the 1762 edition, he included drawings of his special tools. He also explained exactly how he did his research.
Lyonnet had planned to study the caterpillar as it changed. He wanted to look at the chrysalis and the adult insect. But by the time he was sixty, his eyes became too tired. He had to stop his detailed work.
Pierre Lyonnet was recognized for his scientific contributions. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society on 14 January 1748. This is a special honor for scientists.
Images for kids
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Pierre Lyonnet
