Set of Six 18th Century French Hand Colored Shell Engravings Panckoucke Tableau Encyclopédique c.1790

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Exceptional set of six original 18th-century French hand-colored copperplate engravings from the Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique des trois règnes de … Read more Exceptional set of six original 18th-century French hand-colored copperplate engravings from the Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique des trois règnes de la nature, published in Paris by Charles-Joseph Panckoucke circa 1789–1792. These plates illustrate mollusk and shell specimens (“Venus” varieties) rendered with scientific precision and delicate hand coloring. Each engraving is centered on a large laid paper sheet with a visible plate mark and retains a blind embossed fleur-de-lis stamp, indicating period French institutional paper stock.

Engraved by noted artisans of the period (including credits such as Dessere del. and Voyer sculp.), these works represent Enlightenment-era natural history at the intersection of science and art.

Presented unframed, allowing for conservation-grade framing of the buyer’s choice.

Details:

Original copperplate engravings, not later reproductions

Hand colored at the time of publication

French text captions

Late 18th-century laid paper

Sold as a matched set of six

Each piece measures 7 3/8" wide and 7 7/8" high. See less