La Mauve - Regnault 1774-80

📜 Description
Original botanical engraving by Nicolas François Regnault, produced between 1774 and 1780 for the encyclopedic work “La Botanique(...)”, published in Paris by Didot le Jeune. The plate depicts Malva sylvestris in a scientific and classificatory composition, presenting the complete structure of the plant through the flowering stem, palmate leaves, anatomical flower details, and a separately illustrated root system rendered with analytical precision. Developed against a neutral background, the composition emphasizes botanical clarity and naturalistic observation in accordance with the standards of eighteenth-century French botanical illustration. The lower inscriptions “La Mauve – Malva Sylvestris – Malva – Malvas – Mallow – Pappeln” provide the Latin denomination together with European vernacular names for the species, reinforcing the educational and encyclopedic purpose of the image. The work retains documentary and collectible interest for the precision of the engraving, the quality of Parisian scientific publishing, and the relationship between naturalistic illustration and Enlightenment-era botanical research. This antique print represents a coherent example of French botanical production intended for the study, classification, and dissemination of natural science knowledge.

📚 Historical-Artistic Note
Nicolas François Regnault was an author of botanical plates connected to the French scientific tradition of the late eighteenth century. The engravings created for “La Botanique(...)” combined descriptive precision with encyclopedic clarity, qualities essential to the natural history publications of the Enlightenment period. Geneviève De Nangis-Regnault collaborated as designer and engraver in the production of the plates, while the publisher Didot le Jeune was among the leading figures of Parisian illustrated publishing, renowned for the typographic and scientific quality of his editions.

🧾 Technical Sheet
Type: original botanical plate
Author / Manufacture: 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: “La Mauve – Malva Sylvestris – Malva – Malvas – Mallow – Pappeln”
Edition / Print Run: from “La Botanique(...)”
Dimensions: sheet 35 x 49.5 cm; engraving 26 x 38 cm
Marks / Signatures / Inscriptions: botanical inscriptions in the lower margin with Latin denomination and European translations of the species

🔍 Condition Report
Sheet in excellent overall condition, with a well-inked impression and sharp botanical details. Paper well preserved with minor traces of age consistent with the period. Blank verso.