Black Guillemot: An 18th Century Hand-colored Bird Engraving by Martinet
This is a hand-colored engraving of a black guillemot bird entitled "Le Guillemot" by Francois Nicolas Martinet, plate 903 from 'Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux' in association with Georges Louis Leclerc Comte de Buffon, first published in Paris in 1765 by Edme Louis Daubento. It depicts a black guillemot, with its characteristic red feet, standing on the ground, looking to the left. Black Guillemots are hardy birds with a rich black-and-white plumage and dramatic red legs. Black Guillemots are a highlight of the cold rocky coasts of the North Atlantic and Arctic. These duck-sized seabirds forage close to shore, flapping their small wings to power deep dives for fish and invertebrates near the sea bottom.
Creator: François Nicolas Martinet (1731 - 1800, French)
Creation Year: 1765
Dimensions: Height: 12.25 in (31.12 cm)
Width: 9 in (22.86 cm)
Condition: See description below.
This is a hand-colored engraving of a black guillemot bird entitled "Le Guillemot" by Francois Nicolas Martinet, plate 903 from 'Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux' in association with Georges Louis Leclerc Comte de Buffon, first published in Paris in 1765 by Edme Louis Daubento. It depicts a black guillemot, with its characteristic red feet, standing on the ground, looking to the left. Black Guillemots are hardy birds with a rich black-and-white plumage and dramatic red legs. Black Guillemots are a highlight of the cold rocky coasts of the North Atlantic and Arctic. These duck-sized seabirds forage close to shore, flapping their small wings to power deep dives for fish and invertebrates near the sea bottom.
Creator: François Nicolas Martinet (1731 - 1800, French)
Creation Year: 1765
Dimensions: Height: 12.25 in (31.12 cm)
Width: 9 in (22.86 cm)
Condition: See description below.
This is a hand-colored engraving of a black guillemot bird entitled "Le Guillemot" by Francois Nicolas Martinet, plate 903 from 'Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux' in association with Georges Louis Leclerc Comte de Buffon, first published in Paris in 1765 by Edme Louis Daubento. It depicts a black guillemot, with its characteristic red feet, standing on the ground, looking to the left. Black Guillemots are hardy birds with a rich black-and-white plumage and dramatic red legs. Black Guillemots are a highlight of the cold rocky coasts of the North Atlantic and Arctic. These duck-sized seabirds forage close to shore, flapping their small wings to power deep dives for fish and invertebrates near the sea bottom.
Creator: François Nicolas Martinet (1731 - 1800, French)
Creation Year: 1765
Dimensions: Height: 12.25 in (31.12 cm)
Width: 9 in (22.86 cm)
Condition: See description below.
This detailed and strikingly beautiful hand-colored copperplate engraving is printed on high quality laid chain-linked and watermarked paper with large margins. The sheet measures 12.25" high and 9" wide. There is a small spot lower portion of the right margin. The engraving is otherwise in excellent condition.
Francois Nicolas Martinet (1731-c1804) was a French naturalist, engineer and artist, particularly as a skilled engraver. He produced engravings for numerous publication on natural history. He is best known for his bird engravings. Martinet also illustrated many plays and operas by Voltaire and others, as well as creating landscapes and scenes of Versailles and portraits of royalty and aristocrats.
George Louis Leclerc Buffon (1707-1788) was a French aristocrat who became a very prominent and respected scientist and mathematician. He was the director of the Jardin des Plantes botanical garden in Paris. He published the 36 volume Histoire Naturelle, Générale et Particulière (1749-1788) which included Martinet's bird illustrations. These engravings were later published on their own in Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux.
Buffon was an early promoter of the the theory of evolution, recognized by Charles Darwin who acknowledged that "the first author who in modern times has treated it (evolution) in a scientific spirit was Buffon.
