An infant blowing bellows into a furnace; allegory of the role of N. Lefevre in chemistry. Etching (portrait) after R.M. Pariset, and etching (border) by J-G. Blanchon after himself.

[Paris] : [publisher not identified]

1 print : etching, printed in sanguine ; platemark 21.3 x 15.2 cm

Allégorie de Nicolas Lefevre. Né en 1600. Mort en ... Pariset inv. J. Blanchon inv. et sculp. Outside the portrait, bottom right, are initials of the engraver, but they are indistinct. Blanchon's credit-line is written outside the border, bottom left

Not in: Marcel Roux, Inventaire du fonds français, graveurs du XVIIIe siècle, Bibliothèque nationale, département des estampes, tome III, Paris 1934, pp 35-37 (inventory of prints by J.-G. Blanchon), but in series with nos. 1-2

Not in: Edmond Pognon and Yves Bruand, Inventaire du fonds français, graveurs du XVIIIe siècle, Bibliothèque nationale, Département des estampes, tome IX, Paris 1962, pp. 320-331 (inventory of engravings by J.C. François for Alexandre Savérien, Histoire des philosophes modernes)

Wellcome Collection 37096i

According to the titlepage of Savérien, op. cit., the portraits are engraved by Jean-Charles Francois, but according to Pognon and Bruand (op. cit. p. 331) the portraits after vol. VI are not by François: they do not bear his signature or initials, and are not in his characteristic crayon-manner technique. Pognon and Bruand (op. cit. p. 321) add: "Pour quelques personnages dont il n'avait pu se procurer le portrait, François a fait dessiner par Eisen et Boucher des compositions allégoriques qui ne sont pas les plus mauvaises illustrations de l'ouvrage." The present tribute to Lefevre would appear to be one of these allegorical compositions