Red Wrasse

Artist or Author: Marcus Elieser Bloch

Work: Oeconomische Naturgeschichte der Fische Deutschlands

Date of Publication: 1785-1795

Style: Originally Hand-colored Engraving (some metallic)

Paper Size: ~ 15 3/4" by 9 3/4"

Condition: The work is in good to excellent condition overall. There may be a few minor imperfections to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions.

Description of the work: This striking, originally hand-colored folio engraving is from Marcus Elieser Bloch’s Oeconomische Naturgeschichte der Fische Deutschlands or Natugeschichte der Ausländischen Fische.  This is from the first edition of the work published in Berlin by the author and Commission der Buchhandlung der Realschule  between 1785 and 1795.

The engravers for the work were Ludwig Schmidt, F. Berger, P. Haas, and Moritz Bodenehr.  The original illustrations were done by  Johan Friedrich Henning, Johan Friedrich August Krueger, Printz Moritz, and Pater Plumier.  The names of the fish are typically printed to the plate in Latin, French, English and German.

Ichthyologie is noted as "... the finest illustrated work on fishes ever produced. The plates, by a variety of artists and engravers, are outstandingly coloured, and are heightened with gold, silver, and bronze to produced the metallic sheen of fish scales." (Nissen)

Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723-1799) was a medical doctor before he became fascinated with fish later in his life.  He collected several of his own specimens to produce this famous work which described over 200 species of fish.