A hand coloured antique print entitled Le Jean-Le-Blanc.
From ‘Histoire Naturelle Des Oiseaux’ by George-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon.
Published by L’Imprimerie Royale, Paris between 1770 and 1786.
Engraved by Baron.
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.
The Jean Le-Blanc translates as Short-toed Snake Eagle. This raptor is found throughout the Mediterranean, Russia, Western Asia and The Indian Subcontinent. It feeds primarily on snakes and lizards. It’s a silent bird, only occasionally emitting a variety of musical whistles. When breeding it produces only one egg. It can live up to 17 years.
Size: 27 x 19.5 cms or 10 7/8 x 7 3/4 inches.
Size of coloured part of engraving: 18.5 x 15 cms or 7 4/8 x 6 inches
Condition: Near Fine. The coloured part of the image is clean and fresh. The white surround is marked by spots of foxing and spots of black. 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 attached to the reverse side of the image. I imagine they were once used to affix the engraving to a mount.
