Antique bird prints, Buffon, Comte de, Histoire Naturelle

Georges-Louis Marie Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, was one of the most important and influential naturalists of the 18th century. He also carved out an outstanding career as a scientist and mathematician. His most important work was the monumental Histoire Naturelle, Générale et Particulière, avec la description du Cabinet du Roi, published in Paris throughout the second half of the 18th century, and totaling more than 40 volumes in all. It was Buffon's goal to include all known information about the natural world in his magnus opus. The following selection of copper-engraved, hand-colored bird prints, with the birds set against classical landscapes, are from the Histoire Naturelle, Générale et Particulière, published circa 1760.