1769 Buffon French Engraving, Le Bichon & Le Chien Lion

An original 18th century French engraving from the 1769 edition of Georges Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon’s Histoire Naturelle, Générale et Particulière, published in Paris by the Imprimerie Royale.

Titled Le Bichon & Le Chien Lion, this especially charming plate depicts two small companion dogs documented in Buffon’s celebrated natural history. Above is the long haired Bichon posed within an intimate interior, while below is the distinctive Chien Lion, or lion dog, shown with its characteristic clipped coat. The engraving is from Tome VI and is signed Bréant Sculp.

Each engraving in this collection was individually removed from the same 1769 volume and is an authentic period print, not a later reproduction. Over 250 years old, the paper shows the expected signs of age, including toning, occasional spotting and variations along the edges.

France, 1769
Original copperplate engraving on laid paper