La Baleine Franche (Right Whale), Hand-Colored Engraving, 1840
An impressive hand-colored engraving portraying the enormous right whale amid towering Arctic ice formations. Small whaling figures and boats create a powerful sense of scale, evoking both the majesty of the creature and humanity's enduring relationship with the sea.
The scene was designed by the distinguished French natural history artist Édouard Traviès and engraved by Beyer & Mancoux for publication by Furne in Paris circa 1840. The image balances scientific interest with dramatic Romantic sensibilities, making it equally appealing to collectors of maritime art and natural history illustration.
Sold unframed. Framed images are for inspiration only and not always to scale.
Condition: Minor age-related toning and scattered light foxing, with small binding traces along the upper edge as issued. Original hand-coloring remains fresh and well preserved.
Bartele Gallery. Original antique maps, sea charts, engravings and works on paper. This is a plain text rendering of a page that is otherwise built in the browser. The catalogue index is at https://www.bartele.net/catalogue and machine readable notes are at https://www.bartele.net/llms.txt.