Bidspirit auction | Buffon - 12 Monkey or

Buffon - 12 Monkey or Primate Engravings - This beautiful originally hand-colored engraving is from Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon's Herrn von Buffons Naturgeschichte der vierfüßigen Thiere . The work was published by Joseph Brunn between 1777 to 1807 in Vienna. The plates depict quadrupeeds artfully arranged on the page. Buffon's work became one of the most informative sources as far as the visual appearance of animals, and was highly understandable for a wide audience. Buffon described his work and love for natural history by stating that, ”Natural history embraces all the objects the universe presents to us. This prodigious multitude of quadrupeds, birds, fish, insects, plants, minerals, etc., offers to the curiosity of the human mind a vast spectacle, of which the whole is so great that the details are inexhaustible.” Paper Size ~ 3 7/8” by 6 1/4” Paper Size: ~ 4 1/2” by 7 1/2”