Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707–1788) - Set of 4: Golden Lion Tamarin, Proboscis Monkey, Purple-Faced Monkey, Howler Monkey – Engraving

This set of four zoological plates shows primates from the forests of South America and Asia. Each animal is placed in a carefully composed natural setting of rocks, trees and distant landscape, a hallmark of the elegant style of Buffon's Histoire Naturelle.

The Marikina (Golden Lion Tamarin): a small South American tamarin sitting on a rocky outcrop beside a large tree trunk. The engraver brings out its lion-like mane, soft textured fur, long tail and expressive face. Native to the coastal forests of Brazil, this striking species is today one of the best-known symbols of primate conservation.

The Long-Nosed Monkey, Seen from the Back (Proboscis Monkey): a large primate standing upright against a rugged tree trunk in a leafy landscape, shown from behind, with its pendulous nose, thick coat and curved tail. Native to Borneo, the proboscis monkey was still almost unknown in Europe at the time and is shown here in one of its earliest depictions.

The Purple-Faced Monkey: a bearded tree-dwelling primate perched on the branch of an ancient tree above an undulating landscape. The prominent ruff of fur framing its face, its grasping limbs and the surrounding foliage are rendered in fine detail. This leaf monkey is native to the forests of Sri Lanka.

The Howler Monkey: a robust, bearded South American primate standing in profile on a rocky ledge, with thick fur and a long prehensile tail. The howler monkey is famous for its powerful calls, which carry for kilometres through the rainforest.

The plates come from the Histoire Naturelle, générale et particulière by Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, published in Paris from 1749 onwards. This monumental encyclopaedia of the natural world was one of the most widely read scientific works of the Enlightenment. The volumes on quadrupeds, including those devoted to monkeys and apes, were illustrated with engravings after drawings by Jacques de Sève, whose animals, set in picturesque landscapes, combine scientific observation with considerable artistic charm.

Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707–1788), was one of the leading French naturalists and thinkers of the eighteenth century. Appointed intendant of the Jardin du Roi in Paris in 1739, he transformed it into a major centre of scientific research, the forerunner of today's Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. His Histoire Naturelle, written over some forty years with the collaboration of Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton and others, sought to describe the whole of nature in clear and elegant prose. Buffon's ideas on the history of the Earth and the variability of species anticipated later evolutionary thought, and his work exerted a profound influence on European science and culture.

Artist or Maker: Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
Dimensions: Approximately 24 cm x 18 cm (each).
Medium: Engraving.
Date: 18th Century.
SKU: PLA-0930-2

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