1769 Buffon French Engraving, Le Dogue de Forte Race

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 Dogue de Forte Race, this striking plate depicts a large, powerful mastiff type dog standing within a detailed pastoral landscape. Buffon used such plates to document and distinguish the many canine types known in 18th century Europe. 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