Almond - Regnault 1774-80

📜 Description
Original botanical etching from the work “La Botanique (...)”, published in Paris between 1774 and 1780 by Nicolas François Regnault and issued by Didot le Jeune. The plate depicts the Amygdalus communis, identified by the inscription “L’Amandier”, through a scientific composition combining the principal branch of the plant with analytical details of the blossom, the opened fruit, and the seed. The image reflects the educational and classificatory function characteristic of eighteenth-century Enlightenment botany, aimed at disseminating natural history knowledge through systematic and descriptive illustrations. The principal subject is the almond tree, rendered with particular attention to leaf morphology, fruit structure, and reproductive elements, according to an encyclopedic approach intended both for scientific study and for collectors of natural history prints. The lower inscriptions include the Latin denomination together with Italian, English, and German equivalents — “Mandolo”, “Almond-tree”, “Mandel Baum” — emphasizing the international editorial purpose of the publication within the broader European scientific context of the late eighteenth century. This antique print presents a balance between scientific precision and decorative quality typical of major French botanical publications of the period.

📚 Historical-Artistic Note
During the second half of the eighteenth century, illustrated botany experienced significant development through the Enlightenment interest in the classification of the natural world. Nicolas François Regnault produced works dedicated to scientific dissemination through engraved plates intended for scholars, collectors, and specialized libraries. The collaboration with Geneviève De Nangis-Regnault, responsible for both drawing and engraving, reflects the familial and artisanal dimension of part of the French scientific publishing industry of the period. The Parisian publisher Didot le Jeune contributed to the international circulation of these works through the high typographic and engravural quality of his editions.

🧾 Technical Sheet
Type: original botanical etching
Author / Workshop: 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: “L’Amandier – Amygdalus Communis L.S.P. – Ital. Mandolo – Angl. Almond-tree – Allem. Mandel Baum”
Dimensions: sheet 35.5 cm x 49.5 cm; plate 25.5 cm x 38 cm
Marks / Signatures / Inscriptions: botanical inscriptions within the plate including Latin denomination and multilingual translations of the subject
Notes: from “La Botanique (...)”; blank verso

🔍 Condition Report
Etching in excellent overall condition. Paper well preserved with a slight central fold consistent with the nature and age of the work. Sharp impression with clearly legible botanical details. Margins and surface generally in good conservation condition.