Birds from Diderot's Encylopedia

These plates were drawn by Francois Nicolas Martinet - one of the most famous bird illustrators of all time - for the Encyclopédie, the great compendium of enlightenment knowledge published during the second half of the 18th Century.

Francois Nicolas Martinet ((1731-1790?) created illustrations of birds for books by some of the most influential publications of 18th-century France.

These are fine original engravings on old chainlinked paper.

The Encyclopedie, ou Dictionnaire Raisonne des Sciences, des Arts et des Metiers was published in Paris between 1762-1777. A masterpiece of the enlightment, it set out all the knowledge of the day, and was a first attempt to document the techniques of mechanical production for objects used in everyday life. Scholars from around the world, including Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson submitted chapters.

Each Engraving measures appoximately: 10 X 15.25 inches