La Couleu vree Brione ou Vigne Blanche - Regnault 1774-80

📜 Description
Original botanical engraving titled “La Couleuvrée Brione ou Vigne Blanche,” produced between 1774 and 1780 by Nicolas François Regnault for the encyclopedic publication “La Botanique(...)”, issued by Didot le Jeune in Paris. The plate illustrates Bryonia alba, commonly known as white bryony, represented through a scientific and classificatory composition that combines the climbing stems, tendrils, leaves, flowers, berries, and analytical botanical details necessary for species identification. The multilingual inscriptions — “Bryonia Alba,” “Zucca Salvatica,” “Neuva Norca Blanca,” “Bryonye,” and “Stick Wurts” — underline the educational and documentary purpose of the antique print, conceived for the circulation of botanical knowledge across different European linguistic traditions during the late eighteenth century. Executed in etching, the work combines scientific precision with refined naturalistic illustration, giving the print both documentary relevance and collector’s appeal.

📚 Historical-Artistic Note
Nicolas François Regnault was among the notable French botanical illustrators of the eighteenth century, engaged in the dissemination of scientific knowledge through detailed engraved plates inspired by Enlightenment taxonomy. Geneviève De Nangis-Regnault collaborated as draughtswoman and engraver, contributing to the accurate rendering of the plant morphology and analytical sections. The publisher Didot le Jeune, active in Paris, played a central role in French scientific and encyclopedic publishing, producing illustrated volumes intended for scholars, collectors, and academic audiences.

🧾 Technical Sheet
Type: antique botanical print
Author / Maker: Nicolas François Regnault
Designer / Engraver: Genevieve De Nangis-Regnault
Publisher / Printer: Didot le Jeune, Paris
Place: Paris
Period: 1774-1780
Material: paper
Technique: etching
Subject / Title: “La Couleuvrée Brione ou Vigne Blanche - Bryonia Alba - Zucca Salvatica - Neuva Norca Blanca - Bryonye - Stick Wurts”
Edition / Print Run: from “La Botanique(...)”
Dimensions: sheet 35 x 49.5 cm; engraved area 26 x 38 cm
Marks / Signatures / Inscriptions: multilingual engraved botanical title; “G. de Nangis Regnault” engraved in the plate

🔍 Condition Report
Excellent overall condition, with well-preserved engraved details and strong readability of the botanical elements. Minor traces of age consistent with the period and careful historical preservation of the print.