A hand coloured antique print entitled L’Echasse.
From ‘Histoire Naturelle Des Oiseaux’ by George-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon.
Published by L’Imprimerie Royale, Paris between 1770 and 1786.
Engraved by Haussard.
36 volumes of Histoire Naturelle were published during the author’s lifetime with a further eight being produced after his death by Leclerc’s friend Bernard Germain de Lacépède.
Born a man of modest circumstance George-Louis Leclerc secured a massive inheritance from his godfather. With this he travelled to Paris where, after some study, he earned a position as Head of Le Jardin du Roi, a major botanical garden in the city. Here he started his studies of plants and animals in earnest, collecting vast numbers of botanical and zoological specimens and turning the park into an institute of research.
L’ Echasse translates as The Stilt. Stilt is the common name for a species of bird that includes avocets. They live in brackish or saline wetlands in warm or hot climates. They have unusually long legs and long thin bills. They feed on aquatic insects and other small creatures.
Size: 27 x 20 cms or 18.1 x 13 inches.
Condition: Very Good. The coloured part of the engraving is, but for very small marks, clean and fresh. The white surround is browned at the edges and otherwise faintly marked. The paper upon which the engraving is printed is uneven in shape. This was usual for the period of manufacture. There are two pieces of paper glued to the reverse side of the a paper. This was probably once used to affix the engraving to a mount.
