A hand coloured antique print entitled Le Râle D’Eau.
From ‘Histoire Naturelle Des Oiseaux’ by George-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon.
Published by L’Imprimerie Royale, Paris between 1770 and 1786.
Engraved by L. Le Grand.
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.
Le Râle D’Eau translates as The Water Rail. It breeds in well-vegetated wetlands in Europe, Asia and North Africa. It eats small fish, snails and insects. It is seldom seen in flight. When it does migrate it prefers to do so under the cover of darkness.
Size: 27 x 19.5 cms or inches.
Condition: Very Good. The coloured part of the engraving is marked by a small black dot above the bird’s back, but otherwise fresh and clean. The white surround is faintly marked and lightly creased. The paper upon which the engraving is printed is uneven in shape and lightly creased. This was usual for the period of manufacture. There are two pieces of paper glued to the reverse side. They were probably once used to affix the print to a mount.
