Le Cassis ou Groseiller a fruit noir - Regnault 1774-80

📜 Description
Original botanical engraving created by Nicolas François Regnault between 1774 and 1780 and published in Paris by Didot le Jeune for the scientific work “La Botanique(...)”. The plate depicts black currant, identified in the inscription as “Ribes nigrum”, through an analytical composition showing two principal branches with foliage, clusters of ripe berries, and secondary botanical details illustrating flowers and reproductive elements of the plant. The central arrangement against a neutral background reflects the classificatory and didactic purpose typical of eighteenth-century scientific botanical plates, conceived for morphological and pharmacological observation. The multilingual caption in French, Latin, English, and German emphasizes the international circulation of Enlightenment botanical knowledge and the encyclopedic nature of the publication. This antique print retains documentary and collectible interest for the precision of the engraving and its connection to French scientific publishing of the eighteenth century.

📚 Historical-Artistic Note
Nicolas François Regnault was active during the eighteenth century as an author and naturalist associated with botanical and scientific publications. The plates from “La Botanique(...)” were engraved by Geneviève De Nangis-Regnault, whose work translated botanical observation into clear and methodical scientific imagery. The series was published in Paris by Didot le Jeune, an important French publisher and printer recognized for illustrated and scientific editions produced during the Enlightenment period.

🧾 Technical Sheet
Type: original botanical plate
Author / Maker: Nicolas François Regnault
Designer / Engraver: Geneviève De Nangis-Regnault
Publisher / Printer: Didot le Jeune, Paris
Place: Paris
Period: 1774-1780
Material: paper
Technique: etching
Subject / Title: “Le Cassis ou Groseiller à fruit noir - Ribes nigrum - Black Currant - Johannis beer strauch mit Schwartzen truben”
Edition / Print Run: from “La Botanique(...)”
Dimensions: sheet 35.5 x 49.5 cm; plate 25.5 x 38 cm
Marks / Signatures / Inscriptions: multilingual botanical title in French, Latin, English, and German printed below the image

🔍 Condition Report
Overall in excellent condition with well-preserved impression and fresh paper. Light moisture stain visible along the lower margin, not affecting the readability of the image. Blank verso.