Klubbat för:

36000 SEK

Estimate

40 000-50 000 SEK

Description

BLOCH, MARCUS ELIESER (1723-1779). [Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der Fische:] Oeconomische Naturgeschichte der Fische Deutschlands - Naturgeschichte der ausländischen Fische. Berlin (for the author, and Mr Hesse (vol. 1), Realschule bookshop (vol. 2-3), 1782-1787. 4 volumes (6 parts in 2 text volumes and 2 plate volumes). Not complete.

Large 4to (c. 270 x 230 mm.). Text volumes with 6 engraved title vignettes by J. C. W. Rosenberg after D. Berger, woodcut headpieces, 1 engraved title to one of the plate volumes. With 216 hand-coloured doublepage engraved plates, all numbered, heightened with silver and gum arabic, by F. G. Berger, G. Bodenehr, C. Durchow, C. F. Gürsch, C. L., J. G. and F. W. Schmidt, most after Krüger jun., others after C. G. Geissler and D. Hartmann and Pater Plümie (c. 185x355 - 201x375 mm. for platemark), about 50 plates with some wear and loss of colour in the middle folding, mostly filled in, some soiling/thumbing to margins, a few with the name written in pencil, 2 plates with repairs to left margin. Text with slight foxing, some titles with some spotting to margins, small inkspot to one title.
Contemporary half calf bindings, gilt spines with red labels, speckled edges (worn and with faded spines, one joint partly split, small damages to head of two spines). Label from Librairie universelle ... de A. J. van Tetroode, Amsterdam. 4 volumes.

Collation of text:
Fische Deutschlands 1782-84: (16), 258, (8), 192, (8), 234 pp.
Ausländischen Fische 1785-87: (8), 136, (8), 160, x, (3, 1 blank), 146 pp. (probably lacking half title in the beginning).

Nissen ZBI 415, Nissen, Schöne Fischbücher 22. Not complete.
"This monumental work with illustrations marks... an important part of ichthyological iconography" (Nissen, Fischbücher, p. 24).
Bloch´s lifetime devotion to natural history, especially fishes, led to the present magnum opus. In it the Berlin physician is considered to have laid the foundations of the science of ichthyology. It is illustrated with fine, hand-coloured plates by the best Berlin artists of the day. Bloch´s large collection of specimens is now at the Natural History Museum at Humboldt University, Berlin.
Nissen states that vols 4-6 were first issued in octavo format but Bloch explains in his introduction that he has chosen the quarto format to enable the plate volumes to be bound either as oblong or upright folio.

Auktionsnummer:

6174

Date:

2019-06-14