Berlin, For the author, & the François de la Garde Libraire. 1785
Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723 – 1799), a doctor of medicine and famous naturalist, produced what is widely regarded today as the greatest fish book ever printed.
"Marcus Elieser Bloch is to fish what James Audubon is to birds. The Ichtyologie is the most outstanding of all fish books…the high quality of the engraving, the meticulous attention to detail and the exquisite colouring immediately distinguish them." S. Peter Dance & Geoffrey N. Swinney Classic Natural History Prints – Fish. London, 1990.
Original hand-coloured copperplate engraving highlighted with gold and silver, by G. Bodenehr after Krüger jr. The names of the fish are primarily printed in Latin, French, English and German.
Paper size: 16cm by 42.5cm and presented in a light grey mount, size: 36cm by 54cm.
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Shapero Rare Books is an internationally renowned dealer in antiquarian & rare books and works on paper.
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