Echeneis Neucrates

Item Information

Title:
Echeneis Neucrates
Title (alt.):
Echeneis Neucrates
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. Echeneis neucrates depicts a sharksucker. Originally named 'the sucking-fish' by naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch, the print was created as plate 171 for Bloch's ichthyological anthology c. 1785-95. Artist Andreas Ludwig Krüger conveys the sharksucker's underwater movement with gently curving lines along its body. Engraver Ludewig Schmidt's crosshatching and stippling simulate texture, distinguishing between the sharksucker's body and its papery fins. Layers of watercolor paint mimic value and tone. Additional views, including a cross-section and a top view, validate the scientific purpose of the print.
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:
Echeneis neucrates
Echeneis naucrates
Sharksucker
Sucking-fish
Echeneis
Echeneidae
Fishes
Animals
Link to Item:
http://hdl.handle.net/2047/d20129183
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_013