Jean de La Fontaine's Fables Choisies, mises en vers.

La Perdrix a Plate from Fables choisies, mises en vers [the Fables of La Fontaine]

Paris: Chez Desaing & Saillant and Durand, 1759. 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.

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.

Image measures approx. 28.3 × 21 cm (11 × 8¼ inches); sheet 35.5 × 27.5 cm (14 × 10¾ inches).

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. 

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.

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.

Item #21352

Price: $85.00