Pair of Bernard Direxit Copperplate Etchings. Titled: "Histoire Naturelle, Vers Echinodermes." along bottom, translated from French to mean "Natural History, towards Echinoderms." These plates depict various echinoderms which are creatures such as starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers, as well as the sea lilies or "stone lilies". Signed, Lower Right - a work directly by Robert B?nard is usually engraved "Benard fecit" where as engravings done in his workshop by his staff/apprentices is signed "Benard Direxit" Dated, Lower Right ?74? Overall Size: 21 1/2 x 26 1/4 in. Sight Size: 10 3/8 x 14 7/8 in. #1094 Robert B?nard (born Jacques Renaud Benard) was born in Paris in 1731 and lived until 1794. B?nard specialized in engraving and contributed at least 1,800 plated to the Encyclop?die by Diderot & d'Alembert from 1751. Later, publisher Charles-Joseph Panckoucke reused many of his productions to illustrate the works of his catalog.