18th Century Hand Colored Botanical Engraving Plate LXV by Francois Nicolas Martinet

Description

Plate LXV, “Historie Naturelle, Coquilles Fluviatiles,” circa 1751, Francois Nicolas Martinet.

This 18th century attractive hand-colored engraving is from “Historie … more Plate LXV, “Historie Naturelle, Coquilles Fluviatiles,” circa 1751, Francois Nicolas Martinet.

This 18th century attractive hand-colored engraving is from “Historie Naturelle, Coquilles Fluviatiles,” circa 1751. Good antique condition with slight wear around the edges and some staining commensurate with age.

Francois Nicolas Martinet (1725-1804) was the French court engraver and artist. He illustrated many of the plays and operas by the luminaries of the day such as Voltaire, also drawing and engraved landscapes, portraits of notables and scenes of Versailles. He lived through one of the most tumultuous times in French history, witnessing the reigns of Louis XV, followed by the excesses of Louis XV1 and Marie Antoinette at Versailles. Towards the end of his life, he saw the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, followed by the ascent of Napoleon. His most enduring gift to the world is this beautiful work, popular now for almost a quarter of a millennium.

The Histoire Naturelle was a major achievement and in its 44 volumes attempted to include everything known about the natural world and widely disseminate scientific knowledge. It was the first complete natural history survey presented in a popular form, and also broke ground in attempting to separate science from theological dogma, decades before Darwin introduced his theory of evolution.

Paper size: approx. 10”W x 15.5”H
Mat size: approx. 14”W x 18”H

Comes unframed as a loose flat paper lightly secured to a thin black backing board with corner mounts, and inside a clear plastic envelope. less