Antique Handcolored Engraving of Sheep and Rams, Quadruped XXXII, c.1800
This original handcolored copperplate engraving depicts various breeds of sheep and rams, highlighting their unique physical characteristics and adaptations. The plate is from Friedrich Johann Bertuch’s *Bilderbuch für Kinder* (Picture Book for Children), a 12-volume natural history encyclopedia published between 1790 and 1830, celebrated for its educational and artistic contributions to zoology.
The engraving includes:
1. A ram with curled horns, possibly a Mouflon (*Ovis orientalis*), depicted resting (Fig. 1).
2. A long-haired goat or primitive sheep breed, such as the Jacob sheep, characterized by its multiple horns (Fig. 2).
3. A domestic sheep breed, shown standing and with shorn wool, indicating agricultural significance (Fig. 3).
4. A woolly sheep...
Category
Antique Early 1800s Prints