A Greenfinch & A Sparrow: An 18th Century Hand-colored Engraving by Martinet
This is a hand-colored engraving of a Greenfinch bird and a tree sparrow ("1, Le Friquet, 2. Le Verdier") by Francois Nicolas Martinet, plate 227 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 greenfinch bird and a tree sparrow. One is perched on a branch and the other is standing on what appears to be a tree stump. The scene is enclosed by an attractive yellow border.
Creator: François Nicolas Martinet (1731 - 1800, French)
Creation Year: 1770
Dimensions: Height: 18.25 in (46.36 cm)
Width: 13 in (33.02 cm)
Medium: Engraving
Condition: See description below.
This is a hand-colored engraving of a Greenfinch bird and a tree sparrow ("1, Le Friquet, 2. Le Verdier") by Francois Nicolas Martinet, plate 227 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 greenfinch bird and a tree sparrow. One is perched on a branch and the other is standing on what appears to be a tree stump. The scene is enclosed by an attractive yellow border.
Creator: François Nicolas Martinet (1731 - 1800, French)
Creation Year: 1770
Dimensions: Height: 18.25 in (46.36 cm)
Width: 13 in (33.02 cm)
Medium: Engraving
Condition: See description below.
This is a hand-colored engraving of a Greenfinch bird and a tree sparrow ("1, Le Friquet, 2. Le Verdier") by Francois Nicolas Martinet, plate 227 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 greenfinch bird and a tree sparrow. One is perched on a branch and the other is standing on what appears to be a tree stump. The scene is enclosed by an attractive yellow border.
Creator: François Nicolas Martinet (1731 - 1800, French)
Creation Year: 1770
Dimensions: Height: 18.25 in (46.36 cm)
Width: 13 in (33.02 cm)
Medium: Engraving
Condition: See description below.
This colorful and detailed hand-colored copperplate engraving is printed on high quality laid chain-linked watermarked paper, with very large margins. The sheet measures 18.25" high x 13" wide. The image, including the borders and inscription, measures 9.5" high x 7" wide. There are a few tiny, faint, barely perceptible spots. The print 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."
