Le Petite Centauree - Regnault 1774-80

📜 Description
Original botanical engraving titled “La Petite Centaurée - Gentiana Centaurium”, produced by Nicolas François Regnault and published in Paris between 1774 and 1780 for the work “La Botanique(...)” issued by Didot le Jeune. The plate depicts the lesser centaury with a scientific and classificatory approach, illustrating the complete botanical structure with elongated stem, pink blossoms, root system, and enlarged analytical details dedicated to the flower and reproductive elements. The composition is arranged on a neutral background according to the visual language of eighteenth-century natural history plates, conceived for didactic, pharmacological, and encyclopedic purposes. The engraved inscriptions include the French title “La Petite Centaurée”, the Latin denomination “Gentiana Centaurium Linn.”, together with Italian, Spanish, English, and German equivalents, reflecting the international scope of the publication and its role within Enlightenment botanical studies. This antique print combines scientific precision with visual clarity, following the refined French editorial tradition specialized in high-quality natural history illustration.

📚 Historical-Artistic Note
Nicolas François Regnault was responsible for a series of botanical plates intended for scientific dissemination in eighteenth-century France. The engravings were published by Didot le Jeune in Paris, one of the leading French publishers of the period, renowned for the quality of its illustrated editions. Geneviève De Nangis-Regnault collaborated on the engraved execution of the plates, translating Enlightenment botanical classification systems into highly detailed visual representations. “La Botanique(...)” belongs to the broader European encyclopedic movement devoted to the documentation and circulation of natural history knowledge.

🧾 Technical Details
Type: scientific botanical plate
Author / Manufacture: Nicolas François Regnault
Designer / Engraver: Geneviève De Nangis-Regnault
Publisher / Printer: Didot le Jeune, Paris
Place: Paris
Period: 1774-1780
Technique: etching
Subject / Title: “La Petite Centaurée - Gentiana Centaurium - Centaurea Minore - Fel de Tierra - Little Centaury - Klein Tausendgulden Kraut”
Dimensions: sheet 35 x 49.5 cm; engraved area 26 x 38 cm
Marks / Signatures / Inscriptions: engraved French title; Latin denomination “Gentiana Centaurium Linn.”; multilingual nomenclature beneath the image

🔍 Condition Report
Excellent overall condition. Blank verso.