AA.VV. (XIX) - Vojage de l' Astrolabe

A lot of 3 original hand-colored engravings that are part of the "Voyage of Discovery of the Astrolabe", a large-scale French scientific expedition led by Captain Jules Dumont d'Urville from 1826 to 1829. The plates come from the volume dedicated to Zoology, in the Mollusks section.
Authors: The text and the zoological descriptions were mainly written by the naturalists Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard, who were aboard the corvette L'Astrolabe.
Publication: The entire travel account, including the atlas plates, was published in Paris between 1830 and 1835.
These plates are an important example of the great scientific contributions of this voyage, which made it possible to document the fauna and flora of Oceania and other regions of the world, still little known to Europeans at the time. Slight traces of foxing (see photo).
Description:
n° 1 Ancient engraving showing various marine organisms, such as corals and zoophytes, titled "Alcyon" or "Alcyonidae" and found on the plate marked as "Pl. 23". Painted by the well-known Jean Gabriel Pretre.
n° 2 Ancient engraving of mollusk anatomy, in particular the Tridacna, also known as the "giant clam". This is a scientific plate Pl 79 from a 19th‑century natural history publication, illustrating various species and sections of this bivalve. The figures show different cuts and views of the mollusk, including internal and external details of the shells and the soft tissues. Painted by the well-known Jean Gabriel Pretre.
n° 3 Ancient natural history engraving depicting various specimens of mollusks, specifically the plate Pl. 76, entitled in French "Mollusques". It is a scientific illustration presenting different kinds of shells and marine organisms, including scallops ("Peigne bombé" and "Peigne feuilletée"), spiny oysters ("Huître épineuse"), and other bivalves and gastropods, each labeled with a reference number and a French name at the bottom of the page. Painted by Auguste Blanchard. All engravings are provided within an elegant mat. The lot will be carefully packed and shipped with contracted couriers. For this lot, shipments outside the European Community are not offered.