Nicolas Maréchal (after)
Miger (engraver)
Ursus Maritimus - L'Ours Polaire [Polar Bear]
from La Ménagerie du Muséum National d'Histoire
Naturelle des animaux qui y vivent ou qui y ont vécu
[Past and Present Animals in the Menagerie of the National Museum of Natural History]
La Cépède and Cuvier, Paris: 1801
Etching, uncolored
13.5 x 21 inches, overall
11.75 x 15.5 inches, plate mark
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Polar Bear
Nicolas Maréchal, 1801
Nicolas Maréchal, 1801
Natural history study after a watercolor painting by Nicolas Maréchal commissioned by the zoo affiliated with the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle to document the animals in its captivity. The bear is depicted in the setting of its natural habitat and is shown from the side. Textures of its coat llustrated in great detail.
In 1793, after the French Revolution, the former royal garden and collection became the Botanical Garden and the National Museum of Natural History. A zoo linked with the museum was also established, replacing the royal menagerie at Versailles. Until then, people had seen animals in traveling shows, where they were exhibited as curiosities. Traveling menageries were soon banned in Paris, ensuring a steady stream of visitors to the new zoo. The eminent naturalists La Cépède and Cuvier compiled a catalog of the animals in the zoo in 1801. Nicolas Maréchal, the museum's painter, documented the animals of the new zoo in watercolor paintings on vellum.
Reflecting the post-Revolution political mores the personnel associated with this project are referred to as "citoyens" (citizens). The print is dedicated to "Citizen Faujas-St. Pond, Professor of Geology at the National Museum of Natural History, Inspector of Mines of France, etc., by Citizen Miger." (Dedication in French reads: "Dédié au Citoyen Faujas - St. pond; Professeur de Géologie au Muséum National d'histoire Naturelle, Inspecteur des Mines de France &c, par le Citoyen Miger.")
Baron Georges Cuvier (1769-1832) was a French naturalist, considered the father of comparative anatomy, who introduced the concept of phylum. His comparisons improved and extended the Linnaean system of classification. Bernard Germain Etienne de la Ville-sur-Illion, Comte de La Cépède was also a prominent naturalist, who dropped his title of "Count" after the Revolution.
The engraver is listed on the print as Miger, probably Simon Charles Miger (1736-1820) a French printmaker.