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This extremely rare, hand-colored folio fish engraving is from Carl von Meidinger’s Icones Piscium Austriae Indigenorum quos collegit vivisque coloribus expressos. The work was published between 1785 and 1794 in Vienna by Baumeister Press. The work is one of the most scarce and beautiful publications on fishes.

Icones Piscium describes the indigenous fishes of Austria. The prints are after drawings by J. Lachenbauer & MMartin Sedelmayer and engraved by Fr. Assner. The coloring is quite appealing with body colors heightened by gum arabic and silver in some cases. It is a very expensive and rare set with the last complete set sold at Christie’s for $24,000 in 2013.