Jacques and Paul Contant were Huguenot apothecaries in Poitiers, and notable collectors. There were among the first in France to assemble a cabinet of curiosities or Wunderkammer. The first work, a commentary on Dioscorides, was written by Jacques, who died in 1588. It was revised for publication by his son Paul. The fifth part of this work, Le jardin et cabinet poétique, first appeared in 1609; the other four works were published here for the first time.

The Constants' text is devoted to the most remarkable plants, animals, spices, minerals, and natural wonders and oddities mentioned by Dioscorides, with a commentary on their unusual features and properties. The frontispiece and plates illustrate 120 of these different specimens. They are keyed with a page number referring to the text. Schnapper, Le géant, la licorne, la tulipe. Collections françcaises au XVIIe siècle, 222-225.

Digital facsimile from the Internet Archive at this link.