Berlin, privately published, 1782-1795. Oblong folio (25.4 x 41.7 cm). Well-preserved hand-painted engraving of exotic fish.

A fine, original, unfolded plate from Bloch's folio of foreign and exotic fishes. The folio of exotic fish engravings are arguably the most spectacular produced by Bloch, surpassing those in his magnum opus, which is on German fish. Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723-1799), a German medical doctor and naturalist, is considered to be one the most important ichthyologists of the 18th-century. His collection of roughly 1500 specimens is preserved in the Museum für Naturkunde of the Humboldt University in Berlin. All of the prints are beautifully coloured, with a fine glazing that cannot be reproduced in modern prints. Bloch's plates often have one or two folds (if they are from the 8vo edition of Bloch's work which is usually the case), but this plate is not folded. This print in excellent condition, apart from some minor discoloration and fraying around the extreme edges of the sheet. No creases, dents or tears present. Dean I, p. 139; Nissen Schöne Fischbücher, 22.