Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon – Prickly Pear Cactus – Engraving (18th–19th Century)

"Prickly Pear Cactus" presents a botanical study illustrating a spiny succulent cladode bearing emerging blooms alongside detailed dissections documenting its floral organs, fruit, and seed structures. The composition exemplifies late eighteenth- to early nineteenth-century French natural history printmaking created to record plant morphology and botanical classifications for monumental scientific compendiums. Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon was a preeminent French naturalist, mathematician, and cosmologist celebrated for authoring the landmark multi-volume encyclopedia Histoire Naturelle. Artist or Maker: Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon. Dimensions: Approximately 16 cm x 9 cm. Medium: Engraving. Date: 18th–19th Century.

Condition
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