BEAUTIFUL GURNARDS – SEA ROBINS. RARE ORIGINAL WOODCUT ENGRAVING. This extremely rare woodcut engraving is from Aldrovandi’s exceptional volume on fishes, whales and sea monsters. “De piscibus libri V et de cetis liber I”, published in Frankfurt, Germany in 1647. For this great work, Aldrovandi copied illustrations from the key Renaissance fish authors, Belon, Rondelet, Salviani, and his one-time tutor, Conrad Gesner. He also added his own unique and sometimes fanciful illustrations of species mainly from the seas of the Mediterranean, including the Adriatic, and others from more distant shores. Aldrovandi, a self-confessed beachcomber, had many friends and employed assistants who constantly scoured the fish markets, docks, and coastlines to locate new specimens to add to his collection. These beautiful and extraordinary woodcut engravings greatly influenced succeeding illustrated zoological works and were copied extensively by such authors as. Ref, Paula Findlen, Possessing Nature: Museums, Collecting and Scientific Culture in Early Modern Italy 1996, p. 160 -77; Pietsch, Cuvier – Historical Portrait of the Progress of Ichthyology 1995, p. Peter Dance & Geoffrey N. Swinney Classic Natural History Prints; Fish. 23-25; Wood; Vertebrate Zoology p. 184 – 185; Allen p. Copy of original title page included. 37 cm x 23 cm. 14 ½ x 9 inches approx. Watermarks are not on the original prints. You can be sure of owning an original print that is beautifully produced. And is also a good investment. With our extensive knowledge and meticulous research their authenticity is guaranteed. We do not sell reproductions of any kind.