Description des Quadrupedes, Oiseaux, & Reptiles les Plus Curieux Qui se Trouvent dans la Guinee Dessines sur les Lieux d’Apres, le Naturel

Highlighting the diversity (and barbarity) of Africa in the early 18th century.

“Description of the Most Curious Quadrupeds, Birds, & Reptiles Found in Guinea Drawn from Natural Scenes” – Approximate title translation.

This rather self-explanatory print provides a variety of details on various new species of animals encountered by Europeans along the western coast of Africa. Images of various mammals, reptiles, birds, and arachnids are illustrated and described in the accompanying text. Scenes on the left and right show the shooting of an elephant trapped in the garden of Elmira and the killing of pigs for a pagan festival.

The copperplate-engraved sheet was originally published in Paris as part of Henri Abraham Chatelain’s important Atlas Historique. This monumental seven-volume set was first issued in Amsterdam between 1705 and 1720. The scholarly, but approachable, work was aimed at a broad audience, eager for new information during the Age of Enlightenment. The breadth of content offers a nuanced synthesis of geography, cosmography, history, religion, ethnology, and political science. Descriptive text (in French) and skillfully engraved maps, diagrams, and illustrations provide a fascinating window into the world of the early 18th century.