Cottus Gobio; Cottus Cataphractus

Item Information

Title:
Cottus Gobio; Cottus Cataphractus
Title (alt.):
Cottus Gobio; Cottus Cataphractus
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. The 39th print for Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der Fische displays two varieties of the bullhead fish: Cottus gobio, named the River bullhead on the piece but currently recognized as the European or Common bullhead; and Cottus cataphractus, the Armed bullhead. Commissioned by Marcus Elieser Bloch, the print was drawn c. 1782-84 by Andreas Ludwig Krüger and engraved by C.L. Schmidt. Krüger pays little attention to composition, placing six figures evenly around the page. Profiles, cross-sections, and a top or bottom view of each fish provide complete visual information about the specimen. To convey texture, Krüger employs hatch and stipple marks along the bodies of the fish. Careful watercolor, likely added by a third artist, captures the value and sheen of each subject.
Artist:
Krüger, Andreas Ludwig
Engraver:
Schmidt, C. L.
Date:
[ca. 1782]
Format:
Prints
Genre:
engravings (prints)
Location:
Northeastern University Library
Collection (local):
Marine Life Prints
Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der Fische
Subjects:
Cottus gobio
Cottus cataphractus
River bullhead
Armed bullhead
Poachers (Fish)
Ictalurus
Freshwater fishes
Fishes
Animals
Link to Item:
http://hdl.handle.net/2047/d20129174
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_004