About this sheet
Original antique hand-colored copper engraving depicting five remarkable cattle and bovids from Asia, Africa and the northern regions, published in Friedrich Justin Bertuch’s celebrated “Bilderbuch für Kinder” in Weimar in 1796.
The plate is headed “Vierfüßige Thiere XXVIII / Anim. quadrup. XXVIII / Quadrupèdes XXVIII” and illustrates several exotic members and varieties of the ox and cattle family.
Bertuch’s original subject description identifies the animals represented on this plate as the Sarluk or Grunting Ox, the Indian Cow, the African Buffalo and the Musk Ox.
Fig. 1 – Sarluk / Grunting Ox / Yak
The large shaggy animal at upper right represents the Sarluk, historically also known as the Grunting Ox.
Today this animal is generally associated with the Yak (Bos grunniens), the famous long-haired bovine of the highlands of Central Asia and the Himalayan region.
Its heavy shaggy coat provides protection against extreme cold, while its powerful build makes the yak exceptionally well adapted to mountainous environments.
The historical name “Grunting Ox” derives from the characteristic grunting sounds made by the animal.
Fig. 2 – Indian Cow / Indian Cattle
The reddish-brown animal at lower right represents an Indian form of domestic cattle.
Indian cattle were of considerable interest to European naturalists because their appearance differed noticeably from familiar European breeds. Their distinctive characteristics eventually became associated particularly with zebu-type cattle (Bos indicus), although historical classifications and illustrations do not always correspond exactly with modern breeds.
Fig. 3 – Sarluk / Yak
The second shaggy animal at upper left represents another example or variety of the Sarluk or Grunting Ox.
Its massive forequarters, dark shaggy mane and shorter hindquarters give it a remarkably bison-like appearance, illustrating why early European naturalists sometimes struggled to distinguish and classify the various wild and domesticated bovids encountered through travel and exploration.
Fig. 4 – Indian Cow
The smaller centrally positioned animal represents another Indian cattle variety, attractively depicted with a distinctive brown-and-white patterned coat.
Fig. 5 – African Buffalo
The dark horned animal at lower left represents the African Buffalo.
Today the African or Cape Buffalo is classified as Syncerus caffer. It is one of Africa’s largest and most powerful bovids and is distinguished by its massive body and heavy horns.
Musk Ox
Bertuch’s original description of this plate also includes the Musk Ox, historically grouped with ox-like animals because of its heavy build and exceptionally thick coat.
The Musk Ox (Ovibos moschatus) is native to the Arctic regions of North America and Greenland. Despite its traditional name and ox-like appearance, modern zoology places it closer to goats and sheep than to true cattle.
The plate is particularly interesting as a record of late 18th-century zoological classification. European naturalists were attempting to understand relationships between domestic cattle, yaks, buffaloes, musk oxen and other bovids at a time when many exotic species were known principally through travellers’ descriptions, preserved specimens and earlier natural-history illustrations.
Friedrich Justin Bertuch (1747–1822) was a German publisher, writer and patron of the arts. His monumental “Bilderbuch für Kinder” (Picture Book for Children), first published in Weimar in 1790, became one of the great illustrated educational encyclopedias of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Its hundreds of engraved and hand-colored plates introduced readers to animals, plants, geography, science, technology, antiquity and cultures from around the world.
The plate is inscribed at the bottom:
“Gezeich. u. gest. von Jacob Xaver Schmuzer”
meaning “drawn and engraved by Jacob Xaver Schmuzer.”
The combination of shaggy exotic cattle, buffalo and unusual regional breeds makes this an especially decorative natural-history plate, well suited to a country-house, farmhouse, library, study or natural-history interior.
Technique: Original hand-colored copper engraving
Publisher: Friedrich Justin Bertuch / Industrie-Comptoir
Publication: Bilderbuch für Kinder
Place: Weimar, Germany
Date: 1796
Plate: Vierfüßige Thiere XXVIII / Anim. quadrup. XXVIII / Quadrupèdes XXVIII
Artist / Engraver: Jacob Xaver Schmuzer
Subjects: Sarluk or Grunting Ox, Indian Cattle, African Buffalo and Musk Ox
Modern names associated with the historical subjects:
Yak / Grunting Ox – Bos grunniens
Indian Cattle / Zebu – Bos indicus
African Buffalo / Cape Buffalo – Syncerus caffer
Musk Ox – Ovibos moschatus
Condition:
Good antique condition with overall age-related toning, scattered foxing and spotting and some visible show-through or offsetting from printed text. Minor marks and imperfections are present...
