Jean-Charles Chenu (1808-1879) (author)
Prévost (after)
Oudet (engraver)
Gérard (colorist)
G. Strombus, Linné/ S. Gigas, Linné, Plate 2 [Queen Conch, Lobatus gigas]
from Illustrations Conchyliologiques ou description et figures de toutes les coquilles connues vivantes et fossils…
[Conchological Illustrations, or description and figures of all known shells, living and fossils…]
A. Franck, Paris: [1842-54]
Hand-colored engraving
12.75 x 9.75 inches ruled border
18 x 13.25 inches overall
Sold, please inquire as to the availability of similar items.
Queen Conch
Engraving from Illustrations Conchyliologiques, Paris: 1842-54
Engraving from Illustrations Conchyliologiques, Paris: 1842-54
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Fine and delicately rendered color print of the shell of a queen conch. It is from a major 19th-century reference work on shells, Jean-Charles Chenu's Illustrations Conchyliologiques. The scientific names given below it were bestowed by Linnaeus — Strombus gigas — by which it was known until 2008 when it was reclassified as Lobatus gigas. The queen conch is one of the largest marine mollusks native to the Atlantic, found from Bermuda to Brazil as well as in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. It can grow to be almost 14 inches long and up to five pounds in weight, and can live up to 40 years.
Chenu's four-volume reference work on shells was originally issued in 85 parts and contained 482 engraved plates, 358 of which are colored. Different libraries list different publication dates and publishers, but all are in Paris in the period between 1842 and 1858. We have used the publication information favored by the Smithsonian Institution, among others. G. Strombus [Queen Conch] is among the most popular and hence sought after prints of this work; The American Museum of Natural History also has the queen conch plate in its collection and featured it in a set of postcards it issued in 2015.
Jean-Charles Chenu was a French physician and naturalist, and author of several books on medicine and natural history, including an Encyclopedia of Natural History (1850-61) and at least five works on shells, including Illustrations Conchyliologiques (1842-54) and Conchologie Americaine (1845). He also translated Edward Donovan's Natural History of British Shells into French.
References:
Andrei, Mihai. "American Museum of Natural History Releases Vintage Drawings of Seashells." ZME Science. 4 July 2015. http://www.zmescience.com/science/biology/seashells-illustrations-american-museum/ (26 August 2015).
"Jean-Charles Chenu." Wikipedia. 4 June 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Charles_Chenu (26 August 2015).
"Lobatus gigas." Wikipedia. 29 June 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobatus_gigas (26 August 2015).