Gymnotus Brachiurus; Gymnotus Carapo

Item Information

Title:
Gymnotus Brachiurus; Gymnotus Carapo
Title (alt.):
Gymnotus Brachiurus; Gymnotus Carapo
Description:
Marcus Elieser Bloch, a German physician with a passion for natural history, compiled a groundbreaking ichthyological reference work in the 18th century. Frustrated by his predecessors' incomplete texts, Bloch decided to catalogue all of the world's known fish. His resulting twelve-volume book, Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der Fische, was published between 1782 and 1795 and described 432 types of fish, 267 of which were previously undiscovered. Bloch's informative text was accompanied by copperplate engravings by several artists and draftsmen, including Gabriel Bodenehr, Johann Friedrich Hennig, Andreas Ludwig Krüger, C. L. Schmidt, J. G. Schmidt, and Ludewig Schmidt, among many others. Created from life, the masterful prints later received color finishes which capture their subjects so accurately that present-day ichthyologists continue to consult them. Late eighteenth-century print Gymnotus Brachiurus; Gymnotus Carapo portrays two banded knifefish. Drawn by Andreas Ludwig Krüger and engraved by Ludewig Schmidt, the print became plate 157 of Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der Fische. Though naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch originally categorized the fish as two separate species, modern scientists have reclassified the specimen as two subspecies of Gymnotus carapo. In the print, combined stipple and hatch techniques create intense texture along the scaly bodies. Translucent paint, likely added as the last stage of the process, coats the remarkable linework, providing realistic color and three-dimensionality.
Artist:
Krüger, Andreas Ludwig
Engraver:
Schmidt, Ludewig
Date:
[ca. 1785]
Format:
Prints
Genre:
engravings (prints)
Location:
Northeastern University Library
Collection (local):
Marine Life Prints
Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der Fische
Subjects:
Gymnotus brachiurus
Gymnotus carapo
Banded knifefish
Gymnotidae
Freshwater fishes
Fishes
Animals
Link to Item:
http://hdl.handle.net/2047/d20129181
Terms of Use:
No Copyright. The organization that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information. http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
Berlin : Marcus Elieser Bloch
Identifier:
marine_bloch_011