It is possible that there was a school of engraving that promoted beaver-esq dogs, and Jurassic chicken like pheasants, same as the “Pumpkin school” of American engraving, but, if there really wasn’t, this guy engraved a million French guns, back in the day.
A good guess would be Bernaud, he was working as an engraver until well into his 90s, and his work suffered a bit, the older he got. I think he died in 1912. I had a Darne V20 that he engraved, and the pheasants were bad enough that I questioned what year they were introduced to France, as it didn’t seem like he had ever seen one.
Gamescene engraving is absolutely the toughest to pull off, and the guys that can do animals well, are few and far between. Not everyone can be Winston Churchill or Lynton McKensie.
Best,
Ted
