Picturing the creation of the world: The cosmogenic illustrations of Buffon’s Natural History of the Earth (1749–1785)

In seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe, the origin of the universe was not only a theologic preoccupation, as various scientists attempted to construct a comprehensive vision of the Earth’s past, formation and chronology. Far from trying to conflict scientific statements with the sacred tradition, this literature harmonized them, giving birth to a unique and noteworthy literature concerned with the origin of the world: Theories of the Earth. Originally published in 1749, Histoire et théorie de la Terre/Natural History of the Earth is an example of this. Written by the French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc – aka Comte de Buffon – the treatise unveils the author’s cosmogenic views. According to him, the Earth is a fragment of the Sun, once impacted by a comet. The audacity of Buffon’s cosmogenic scenario can be surprising; yet it is nonetheless skilfully illustrated. Three of the illustrations draw our attention because of their distinct features. If some are highly accurate, others seem contradictory. This article will focus on the variety of outlooks its illustrations provide on the ground-breaking cosmogenic theory imagined by Buffon. We will particularly examine the extent to which they comply with the eighteenth-century ‘rationalization’ of the Genesis narrative.