Comte de Buffon - Set of 2: Spiny-Tailed Lizard and Caiman Lizard - Engravings (c. 1788)
"Le Fouette-Queue" and "La Dragonne" are two copperplate engravings from Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupedes Ovipares et des Serpens by Bernard Germain de Lacepede, published in Paris around 1788 as a continuation of Buffon's Histoire Naturelle. The plates show a spiny-tailed lizard climbing an ancient stone monument and a caiman lizard on a rocky riverbank among lush foliage. They were engraved by French printmakers after drawings by Jacques de Seve.
Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupedes Ovipares et des Serpens, written by Lacepede after Buffon's death, extended Buffon's Histoire Naturelle to reptiles and amphibians and remained a standard reference on these animals into the nineteenth century. The caiman lizard of South America is a semi-aquatic hunter of snails, while spiny-tailed lizards use their armoured tails for defence.
Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707-1788) was a French naturalist, mathematician and intendant of the Jardin du Roi in Paris, and the author of the 36-volume Histoire Naturelle.
Artist or Maker: Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
Dimensions: Approximately 16 cm x 9 cm (6.3 in x 3.5 in) (each).
Medium: Engraving
Date: c. 1788
SKU: BUFFON-INV
Condition
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.
"Le Fouette-Queue" and "La Dragonne" are two copperplate engravings from Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupedes Ovipares et des Serpens by Bernard Germain de Lacepede, published in Paris around 1788 as a continuation of Buffon's Histoire Naturelle. The plates show a spiny-tailed lizard climbing an ancient stone monument and a caiman lizard on a rocky riverbank among lush foliage. They were engraved by French printmakers after drawings by Jacques de Seve.
Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupedes Ovipares et des Serpens, written by Lacepede after Buffon's death, extended Buffon's Histoire Naturelle to reptiles and amphibians and remained a standard reference on these animals into the nineteenth century. The caiman lizard of South America is a semi-aquatic hunter of snails, while spiny-tailed lizards use their armoured tails for defence.
Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707-1788) was a French naturalist, mathematician and intendant of the Jardin du Roi in Paris, and the author of the 36-volume Histoire Naturelle.
Artist or Maker: Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
Dimensions: Approximately 16 cm x 9 cm (6.3 in x 3.5 in) (each).
Medium: Engraving
Date: c. 1788
SKU: BUFFON-INV
Condition
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.
