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

Lot of 3 hand-colored original 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 devoted to Zoology, in the Mollusks section.
Authors: The text and the zoological descriptions were written mainly by the naturalists Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard, who were aboard the corvette L'Astrolabe.
Publication: The complete travel account, including the atlas plates, was published in Paris between 1830 and 1835.
These plates are an important example of the major scientific contributions of this voyage, which made it possible to document the fauna and flora of Oceania and other regions of the world, at that time still little known to Europeans. Slight traces of foxing (see photos).
Description:
n° 1 An antique engraving showing various marine organisms, such as corals and zoophytes, titled "Alcyon" or "Alcyonidae" and located on the plate marked as "Pl. 23". Painted by the well-known Jean Gabriel Pretre.
n° 2 An antique engraving of mollusk anatomy, particularly 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 An antique natural history engraving depicting various mollusk specimens, specifically plate Pl. 76, titled in French "Mollusques". It is a scientific illustration showing several types 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 passepartout. The lot will be carefully packed and shipped with contracted couriers. For this lot, shipping outside the European Community is not offered.