Antique Buffalo Engraving, Buffon Hand-Coloured Print Amsterdam 1769
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique Buffalo Engraving, Buffon Hand-Coloured Print Amsterdam 1769 This handsome hand-coloured 18th-century engraving of the buffalo, titled Le Buffle, comes from the rare Dutch edition of Buffon’s celebrated Histoire Naturelle, published in Amsterdam by J.H. Schneider in 1769. Appearing as Plate XXV in Tome XI, the image was drawn by Jacques de Sève, Buffon’s principal illustrator, and engraved by C.J. Fritsch. The plate is one of the most appealing large mammal portraits in the Buffon series, notable for its expressive character, fine engraving, and warm, atmospheric colouring. The buffalo stands in full profile on a grassy bank beneath a soft blue sky. Its muscular body, thick neck, and distinctive curved horns are rendered with precise cross-hatching, highlighting both strength and powerful form. The shaggy hair around the head and chest is drawn with exceptional sensitivity, giving the animal a lively, alert presence. Behind the buffalo, a distant landscape shows classical buildings, rolling hills, and soft vegetation—an elegant composition typical of de Sève, who often placed his subjects in idealised settings to evoke the exotic nature of these animals for 18th-century European audiences. Hand colouring in the Schneider edition is among the finest of all Buffon printings. The warm browns of the buffalo’s coat...
Antique Late 18th Century Dutch Prints
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