1769 Buffon French Engraving, Le Chien de Berger & Le Lévrier

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.

This wonderful double plate depicts Le Chien de Berger, the shepherd dog, above Le Lévrier, the greyhound. The contrasting breeds are beautifully rendered, with the heavily coated shepherd dog set against a rustic village and the elegant, slender greyhound posed before a grand country estate.

From Tome VI, the plate 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, spotting and variations along the edges, all visible in the photographs.

France, 1769
Original copperplate engraving on laid paper