Jacques Eustache de Seve (1742 - 1788) - Le Mascarin - Originale

The Mascarene parrot (Mascarinus mascarin), commonly known as the mascarin, is an extinct species native to the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. The Mascarene parrot measured about 35 cm in length and had a large red beak and long rounded tail feathers. It had red legs and a bare red area of skin around the eyes and nostrils. It had a black facial mask and tail feathers partly white,

There are no video recordings, but there remain antique engravings and only two mounted specimens in the world, conserved at the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna and at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris.

It remains in excellent conservation condition on laid paper with good margins and a refined watercolor coloring

Signed at the bottom right and bottom left by the authors

Jacques Eustache de Sève (1742-1788) was a French illustrator known for his detailed drawings and engravings of animals, reflecting the Enlightenment style and the transition to Neoclassicism, characterized by scientific precision, realism and elegant compositions, often used for encyclopedic works such as Diderot's Encyclopédie.

His work sits within the scientific fervor of the eighteenth century, with the aim of documenting the natural world, typical of the great illustrated works of the era.
Despite its scientific nature, the compositions are often balanced and pleasant, with minimal backgrounds that focus attention on the animal.

Original copperplate engraving on copper etched by Claude Baron (1738 in Paris – around 1780) circa 1770.

From a private collection