Bilder Francois-Hubert Martinet (1731-1800) – View of a Black Grouse – Hand-coloured etching (1770)

Beskrivning

"Coq-de Bruyéres, à queue fourchue". This work illustrates a male Black Grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) in profile, standing on a grassy mound with low foliage and a flowering stem behind it. The bird is rendered with dark, blue-black plumage, a white wing bar, and its distinctive lyre-shaped tail, topped by a vibrant red comb above the eye. This hand-coloured etching is from the renowned series Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux by Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, published in Paris between 1770 and 1783. The plate is enclosed within the signature yellow border that identifies this seminal work, which represented the pinnacle of eighteenth-century ornithological study.

Francois-Hubert Martinet was a French engineer and architect who gained fame as one of the most significant natural history illustrators of the Enlightenment. He was responsible for the artistic direction and execution of nearly one thousand plates for Buffon's Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. Martinet’s style is distinguished by its scientific clarity and the application of vivid hand-applied colours that captured the iridescent qualities of avian feathers. His illustrations became the definitive visual record of bird species for European naturalists and collectors during the late eighteenth century. Beyond his ornithological work, Martinet contributed to numerous scientific publications and the famous Encyclopédie of Diderot.

Artist or Maker:
Francois-Hubert Martinet.

Dimensions:
Approximately 28 cm x 18 cm.

Medium:
Hand-coloured etching.

Date:
1770.

Condition Report:
This work is in good condition overall. There may be a few minor imperfections or fox or mottled marks to be expected with age. Please review the images carefully for condition details, and feel free to contact us with any questions or for a comprehensive condition report.