du Monceau, Henri Louis Duhamel Pl. 6b. “Fenouillet Rouge.” [russet apple]

Henri Louis Duhamel du Monceau.  Pl. 6b. “Fenouillet Rouge.”  [russet apple].  From Traité des Arbres Fruitiers, contenant leur figure, leur description, leur culture, &c. 

Paris, [1768]-1872.  2^nd Edition.  11 ¾ x 9 ½ (plate mark).  Engraving on heavy wove paper.  Attractive hand color.  Fine condition.  Framed.  Not examined out of frame and sold as is.    A/A 

A print from a later edition of exquisite fruit prints initially done during the heyday of French botanical illustration of the 18^th and early 19^th centuries.  These elegant cuttings of ripe fruit, seen also in cross section and with their blossoms, were done from drawings by Aubriet, Mlle. Basseport and Le Berriays.  They were then engraved by a group carefully picked artists.  They are unusual and important for the uncommon talent and care that went into their making.  These prints are a fine product of the period when botanical prints were just beginning to come into their own in France, all the more desirable for their rarity as fruit prints of the highest quality.