1799 Antique Aquatint - Desert Falcon (Le Rougri) - Levaillant's Birds of Africa

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

An original aquatint which was an illustration to "Histoire Naturelle des oiseaux d'Afrique" by Francois Levaillant with illustrations by Lebrecht Reinold, published in Paris by J.J. Fuchs, 1799. These images were first published in 51 parts (colored and uncolored) to subscribers and subsequently sold in bound volumes (1805)This is Plate No.17 illustrating "Le Rougri" or desert falconGood condition - mild damp staining along top border not entering the plate line - see scan. Also included is the original page of descriptive textPage size 14 x 10 inches , ideal for framingFrançois Levaillant From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search François LevaillantFrançois Levaillant (born Vaillant, later in life as Le Vaillant , "The Valiant" ) (6 August 1753 – 22 November 1824) was a French author, explorer, naturalist , zoological collector, and noted ornithologist . He described many new species of birds based on birds he collected in Africa and several birds are named after him. He was among the first to use colour plates for illustrating birds and opposed the use of binomial nomenclature introduced by Linnaeus , preferring instead to use descriptive French names such as the bateleur (meaning "tumbler or tight-rope walker") for the distinctive African eagle.Contents 1 Life 1.1 Cape travels 1.2 Return to Europe 2 Specimens 3 Traveller and ethnographer 4 Ornithology 5 Works 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksFrançois Vaillant was born in Paramaribo , the capital of Dutch Guiana ( Surinam ), the son of Nicolas François, a French lawyer from Metz who had fled there after eloping with his mother Catherine Josephine and then took up a position as the French Consul. Growing up amid forests, François took an interest in the local fauna, collecting birds and insects. His family returned to France in 1763. In 1772, François joined the Berry cavalry regiment as a cadet officer in Metz but was eventually rejected as an officer because he was not tall enough. Her married Suzanne de Noor in 1772. He worked with a local apothecary, Becoeur, who had developed an arsenic-based soap to preserve birds. In 1777, he moved to Paris and started a career as a trader in natural history specimens.Map of southern Africa made for Louis XVI (1790)He went to the Cape of Good Hope in 1780, at the age of 27, nominally as a gunner's mate for the Dutch East India Company, but almost certainly sponsored by the Treasurer-General, Jacob Temminck with the understanding that he would strengthen Temminck's collection. [1] :249 He decided to study the bird and animal life in their natural habitat. At that time, South Africa was a relatively unknown and exotic location and he collected specimens that would establish his reputation within the scientific community until July 1784 [1] :249 when he made his way back to Holland and France. He made three journeys, one around Cape Town and Saldanha Bay (April to August 1781), one eastwards from the Cape (December 1781 to May 1783) and the third to the Orange River and into Great Namaqualand (June 1783 to c. May 1784). [1] :249 Researchers have to some extent adjusted the dates supplied by Levaillant. During the first expedition his collection was on the vessel Middelburg , which was attacked and sunk by the English in Saldanha Bay. He did however manage to return with over 2000 specimens of birds, insects, mammals and plants. During this trip he changed his name to Le Vaillant.An illustrative map of his travels was produced around 1790 for King Louis XVI. Measuring nine feet wide and six feet high, the map depicts the travels and the landscape met with. The cartographic elements of the map were made by Perrier with the insets of animals and landscapes by Van Leen. The birds were by Reinold. Sixty two pictures of fauna and flora were stuck onto the map. One of the animals depicted is the now extinct bluebuck . [2]PortraitOn his return he published Voyage dans l'intérieur de l'Afrique (1790, 2 vols.), and Second voyage dans l'intérieur de ... read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.