Simon-Charles Miger (

Nemours Nemours () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Geography Nemours is located on the Loing and its canal, c. south of Melun, on the Moret–Lyon railway. Nemours – Saint-Pierre ...

, 19 February 1736 –

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, 28 February 1828) was a French engraver, most notable for the plates he produced for ''La Ménagerie du Muséum national d'histoire naturelle'' by Lacépède, Saint-Hilaire and Cuvier.

Life and work

Son of a tanner who sent him to study in Paris, Miger took various jobs including teacher, tutor and secretary before discovering a passion for engraving. He apprenticed to

Charles Nicolas Cochin Charles-Nicolas Cochin (22 February 1715 – 29 April 1790) was a French engraver, designer, writer, and art critic. To distinguish him from his father of the same name, he is variously called Charles-Nicolas Cochin le Jeune (the Younger), Cha ...

, which employed him as a clerk, and attended the workshop of

Johann Georg Wille Johann Georg Wille, or Jean Georges Wille (5 November 1715, near Biebertal - 5 April 1808, Paris) was a German-born copper engraver, who spent most of his life in France. He also worked as an art dealer. Life and work He was the eldest of seven ...

. He developed into a portraitist, and then fell in love with a woman with whom he courted for four years until his situation finally allow her to marry him. In 1778, Miger was accredited by the

Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture The Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture (; en, "Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture") was founded in 1648 in Paris, France. It was the premier art institution of France during the latter part of the Ancien Régime until it was abol ...

, where he was admitted as a member in 1781. During the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, he argued alongside

Jean-Michel Moreau Jean-Michel Moreau (26 March 1741 – 30 November 1814), also called Moreau le Jeune ("the younger"), was a French draughtsman, illustrator and engraver. Biography Moreau le Jeune, as he is usually called, was born in Paris. He was the pupil of t ...

and

Adélaïde Labille-Guiard Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (née Labille; 11 April 1749 – 24 April 1803), also known as Adélaïde Labille-Guiard des Vertus, was a French miniaturist and portrait painter. She was an advocate for women to receive the same opportunities as men ...

for the renovation of the statutes that were falling into disrepair. "The laws of the state, he says, are granted by the French people, those of the Academy shall be through all académicien people." But these reform proposals were rendered obsolete by the abolition of Academies, decreed by the

National Convention The National Convention (french: link=no, Convention nationale) was the parliament of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for the rest of its existence during the French Revolution, following the two-year National ...

in 1795. In 1800, Miger is charged with

Bernard Germain de Lacépède Bernard-Germain-Étienne de La Ville-sur-Illon, comte de Lacépède or La Cépède (; 26 December 17566 October 1825) was a French naturalist and an active freemason. He is known for his contribution to the Comte de Buffon's great work, the ...

to engrave the planks of his work on the menagerie of the

National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. In 2021, with 7 ...

. He then continues to handle the chisel and compose verses until the age of nearly 90 years.

Galleries

Menagerie

Image:Miger - Camelus Dromedarius.jpg, ''The

Dromedary The dromedary (''Camelus dromedarius'' or ;), also known as the dromedary camel, Arabian camel, or one-humped camel, is a large even-toed ungulate, of the genus ''Camelus'', with one hump on its back. It is the tallest of the three species of ...

.''
Camelus dromedarius. Image:Miger - Simia.jpg, ''The

Mandrill The mandrill (''Mandrillus sphinx'') is a large Old World monkey native to west central Africa. It is one of the most colorful mammals in the world, with red and blue skin on its face and posterior. The species is sexually dimorphic, as males ...

.''
Mandrillus. Image:Miger - Felis Pardus.jpg, ''The

Panther Panther may refer to: Large cats *Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis'' **'' Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards. *** Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in So ...

(male).''
Panthera pardus. Image:Miger - Ours polaire.jpg, ''The

Polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the largest extant bear specie ...

.''
Ursus maritimus.

Portraits

Image:Miger - Charles aux Tuileries.JPG, ''

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

at the

Tuileries The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from ...

on 1 December 1783.'' Image:Miger - Gluck.jpg, '' Christophe Gluck''
after

Joseph Siffred Duplessis Joseph-Siffred Duplessis (22 September 1725 – 1 April 1802) was a French painter known for the clarity and immediacy of his portraits. Early life He was born in Carpentras, near Avignon, into a family with an artistic bent and received his ...

. Image:Miger - Joseph Caillot.jpg, ''

Joseph Caillot Joseph Caillot (24 January 1733, in Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois, Paris – 30 September 1816, in Paris) was a French actor and singer. He was endowed with a very wide compass which enabled him to sing as a basse taille ( bass-baritone), while al ...

''
after

Guillaume Voiriot Guillaume Voiriot (20 November 1712 – 9 December 1799Catherine Voiriot, "Guillaume Voiriot (1712 – 1799)", ''Bulletin de la Société de l'histoire de l'art français'' 2004 issue (2005) 111–57p. 113.) was a French portra ...

. Image:Miger - Marquis de La Fayette.JPG, ''Mr le

Marquis de La Fayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

, commandant général of the Parisian

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

.''

Iconography

*Émile Bellier de La Chavignerie, ''Biographie et catalogue de l'œuvre du graveur Miger, membre de l'ancienne Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture, son portrait avec fac-similé de son écriture'' (1856). *Bernard-Germain-Étienne de Lacépède, Georges Cuvier, Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, ''La Ménagerie du Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, ou Description et histoire des animaux qui y vivent et qui y ont vécu'' (2 volumes, 1804). Reissue : Artis Library Committee, Amsterdam, 1981
Engravings online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miger 1736 births 1828 deaths 18th-century engravers 19th-century engravers French engravers Animal artists