fish Archives - Page 3 of 5

Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.020 (1718-1719)

Louis Renard (French, 1678–1746)

Vibrant fish dart across the page, their scales shimmering in impossible hues. A crimson crab claws at a cobalt crayfish, frozen mid-battle. These creatures defy nature—flaring fins, exaggerated spines, colors too bold for any ocean. Each specimen twists reality into something stranger, wilder.
Notolabrus celidotus (NZ) _ Wrasse (1875)

Frank Edward Clarke (New Zealander, 1864–1935)

A wrasse glides through unseen waters, its scales catching the light in flashes of orange and blue. The precise brushwork traces every fin and curve, as if the fish might dart off the page at any moment.
Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.015 (1718-1719)

Louis Renard (French, 1678–1746)

Vibrant fish dart across the page, their scales shimmering in impossible hues. A crimson crab claws at the edge, while spined crayfish lurk below. Each creature twists with exaggerated flair—nature’s oddities amplified into spectacle.
Anthias formosus, The Grunt. (1785-1797) (1)

Marcus Elieser Bloch (German, 1723–1799)

A slender grunt fish, scales etched with precision, hovers mid-swim against blank parchment. Its delicate fins splay like lace, mouth slightly agape—caught forever in silent motion. The engraving’s crisp lines reveal each iridescent detail, as if the creature might dart off the page with the next ripple.
1. Chaetodon unimaculatus; 2. Chaetodon arcuatus, The Arc-Fish. (1785-1797)

Marcus Elieser Bloch (German, 1723–1799)

Two tropical fish, one spotted, the other striped in bold arcs, float against a blank background. Their delicate fins and intricate patterns emerge from precise black lines, each scale rendered with scientific clarity. The contrast between their forms highlights nature’s playful variations within a single species.
Perca Guttata, The Hind. (1785-1797) (1)

Marcus Elieser Bloch (German, 1723–1799)

The spotted perch glides across the page, its scales etched with precision—each dot, each fin rendered in sharp detail. A scientific study transformed into art, where even the gills seem to pulse with life. The fish isn’t just depicted; it’s preserved in ink, frozen mid-swim.
Rhombosolea tapirina _ greenback flounder (before 1870)

Frank Edward Clarke (New Zealander, 1864–1935)

A flat, mottled body lies still against the seabed—greenback flounder, perfectly disguised. Its asymmetrical eyes peer upward, waiting. The delicate watercolor strokes mimic the dappled light filtering through shallow waters. One wrong move, and the illusion shatters.
Platycephalus sp (Tas) _ Flathead (1868)

Frank Edward Clarke (New Zealander, 1864–1935)

The flathead’s mottled skin blends with the seabed, its wide mouth poised. Watercolor strokes mimic the ripple of gills, the slow drift of a predator waiting.
Globe fish and Coffer fish (1893-1896)

Pierre Jacques Smit (Dutch, unknown)

Two fish hover on the page—one round as a lantern, the other boxy with rough edges. Delicate watercolor washes bring their scales to life, each brushstroke hinting at the ocean’s hidden oddities. No waves, no reefs, just these peculiar forms suspended in pale emptiness.