BUFFON. MARTINET.
[Natural history of birds]. Collection of 1008 colour plates, bound in 11 large volumes in-4, marbled calf, triple net, coat of arms, back decorated with red and green pieces, red edges (period binding).
A superb and famous suite of Martinet's illustrations, drawn from the royal collections of naturalized animals, and including 973 coloured bird plates and 35 entomology plates, or 1,008 finely cast plates in the royal atEliErs.
Copy of the print without title or explanation of the plates, having been composed from the 42 issues of 24 plates published from 1765 to 1783, under the direction of Daubenton.
very bEl ExEmplairE, to the armEs (on the plates of volumes I to IX) OF pHilippE HEnri marquis DE ségur (1724-1801), Secretary of State at the Ministry of War, then Minister of State in 1781, created maréchal de France in 1783. He resigned in 1787 as soon as the Cardinal of Loménie came to power. Imprisoned under the Terror, he escaped the guillotine.
The last two volumes without arms are, however, uniformly linked to a few small details.