Fables

1759 · 21352 — Paris: Chez Desaing & Saillant and Durand 1759. Good. Copper-plate engraving by Laurent Cars after Jean-Baptiste Oudry. 1759 engraving from La Fontaine's Fables choisies - 'La Perdrix' engraved by Laurent Cars after Oudry; single 18th-century copperplate plate Presented in a black mat overall size 11¼ × 14 inches suitable for standard framing.<br /> <br /> A single plate extracted from the original volume from the celebrated illustrated edition of Fables choisies mises en vers edited by C. P. de Monthenault d'Egly and issued in Paris between 1755 and 1759. Engraved after original designs by Jean-Baptiste Oudry whose animal subjects set the visual standard for La Fontaine's fables throughout the eighteenth century.<br /> <br /> Image measures approx. 28.3 × 21 cm 11 × 8¼ inches; sheet 35.5 × 27.5 cm 14 × 10¾ inches.<br /> <br /> A single plate extracted from the original volume. Light even age-toning. Some staining and soil to the outer margins; scattered worming at the lower right margin not affecting the image area. A clean well-inked impression with clear plate tone. Jean de La Fontaine's Fables first published between 1668 and 1694 remain foundational texts of French literature. Drawing on classical medieval and Eastern sources La Fontaine transformed traditional moral tales into supple French verse admired for its wit irony and psychological insight. <br /> <br /> Originally composed for adult readers the Fables later became central to French literary education. Oudry's illustrations engraved by leading eighteenth-century printmakers including Laurent Cars Cochin Tardieu and others are widely regarded as the definitive visual interpretation of La Fontaine's work.<br /> <br /> Subjects: Jean de La Fontaine French Fables Animal Allegory Enlightenment Illustration Jean-Baptiste Oudry French Literature in Art 18th-Century European Prints Literary Illustration French Copperplate Engraving. Chez Desaing & Saillant and Durand unknown