An original copper plate engraving of two types of teal.
Drawn and engraved by Francois-Nicholas Martinet.
Hand coloured. Printed on strong cream coloured paper.
From The Comte de Buffon’s Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux, published in Paris from 1770 to 1786. Book 6. Plate number 35.
Dated 1770.
Size: 24.5 x 33.5 cms with the engraved part of the image measuring 24 x 28.7 cms.
Condition: Very Good. There is a brown mark on the right hand edge of the sheet that would be hidden were the image framed. A very faint grey shadows - the image of a duck in reverse - marks the piece. The engraving does not sit squarely on the paper upon which it has been pressed. This fault could be resolved were it mounted for framing. A strong crease runs horizontally to the left side of the image and a fainter crease down the center. These are a consequence of the engraving having been folded into a book. There is paper tape on the reverse side; perhaps once used to secure the engraving onto a mount.
