1st EDITION BLOCH OBLONG FOLIO H/C RARE FISH - The Square Box - #137

This striking, originally hand-colored folio engraving is from Marcus Elieser Bloch’s Ichthyologie, ou Histoire Naturelle Generale et Particuliere des Poissons. The work was published in Berlin between 1785 and 1797. 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) Bloch 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. Dimensions for all of these are assumed to be true and never have been trimmed, but if you have very specific requirements for dimensions please inquire prior to purchasing. ~ 10" by 14" but some are larger in size up to 11" by 18" Again, please ask first if you need a minimum size. Artist Marcus Elieser Bloch Originally Hand-colored Engraving Date1785-1797 Overall Very Good to Excellent. There may be negligible text offset. Some engravings have been folded in their original previously. Please review the images carefully, zooming in and ensuring that the engraving meets your demands. We try to provide as high quality images of the condition of these engravings as possible.