13 handcoloured engravings from Oeuvres completes de Buffon by Buffon and Daubenton - 1828

13 handcoloured engravings from Oeuvres completes de Buffon by the Comte de Buffon and Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton.

These original hand coloured plates were taken from 'Oeuvres completes, - suivies de ses continuateurs Daubenton, Lacepede, Cuvier, Dumeril, Poiret, Lesson et Geoffreoy-St-Hilaire’, Brussels 1828-1833.

Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (Sept.7, 1707 - April 16, 1788) was a French naturalist, mathematician, biologist, cosmologist and author. Buffon's views influenced the next two generations of naturalists, including Jean-Baptist Lamarck and Charles Darwin. Darwin himself, in his foreword to the 6th edition of the origin of Species, credited Aristotle with foreshadowing the concept of natural selection but also stated that "the first author who in modern times has treated it in a scientific spirit was Buffon".

It is hard to tell which exact publication the offered plates are taken from. But they definitely are early 19th century hand coloured engravings.

The plates are:

Pl. 1: Le Grand Aigle/Le Balbuzar
Pl. 1bis: Le Petit Aigle/Le Vautour de Norwege
PL. 2: L’Orfraie/Le Jean le Blanc
Pl. 3: Le Vautour Brun/Le Roi des Vautours
Pl. 4: Le Milan/La Buse
Pl. 5: La Soubuse/Le Busard
Pl. 5bis: L’oiseau St. Martin/Le Caracara
Pl. 6: L’Epervier/L’Autour
Pl. 7: Le Gerfault/Le Sacre
Pl. 64: L’Agami/Le Tinamous-magoua
Pl. 177: Le morillon/ Le Garrot
Pl. 178: La Marreuse/Le Beau Canard huppé
Pl. 179: La Sarcell male/La Sarcelle femelle

The plates (15x24cm) are in very good condition although there is some browning and foxing. Please look at the photos for more details.