162 Pierre-Quentin Chedel (1705–1763) after François Boucher (1703–1770) – Hand-Coloured Engraving of Marine Shells and Barnacles – Glands de Mer, Poussepieds, Conques Anatifères, Pholades (1742)

This original hand-coloured engraving presents a detailed natural history plate depicting marine barnacles, shellfish, and anatomical studies of sea life, including poussepieds, pholades, and glands de mer. Each specimen is rendered with a scientific approach and artistic finesse, labelled with figure letters, and arranged in a manner reflecting 18th-century Enlightenment aesthetics. The composition was designed by François Boucher and engraved by Pierre-Quentin Chedel, as part of Antoine Joseph Dezallier de Argenville’s influential natural history project. Published in 1742, this work reflects the merging of scientific inquiry and the Rococo visual tradition in France.