Fishes

  • Latris lineata (NZ) _ Common Trumpeter (1867)

    Latris lineata (NZ) _ Common Trumpeter (1867)

    Frank Edward Clarke (New Zealander, 1864–1935)

    The Latris lineata glides through pale blue water, its silver scales catching light. Streaks of gold trace its fins, while delicate shadows ripple beneath. A quiet predator, built for speed—yet frozen here in fluid grace.

  • Recherches sur les poissons fossiles Pl.206 (1833-1843)

    Recherches sur les poissons fossiles Pl.206 (1833-1843)

    Louis Agassiz (American, 1807–1873)

    Delicate bones press through stone, frozen mid-swim. Fins splay like lace against the rock, each spine etched with precision. This fish hasn’t moved in millennia, yet every gill seems ready to flutter. The engraving makes extinction feel startlingly alive.

  • Unidentified Fish (7)

    Unidentified Fish (7)

    Luigi Balugani (Italian, 1737–1770)

    A slender fish, scales shimmering in watery light, drifts mid-page. Its fins flare like delicate fans, each brushstroke precise yet alive. The creature seems to hover between scientific record and fleeting motion—caught in pale blues and soft grays, unnamed but vividly present.

  • Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.023 (1718-1719)

    Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.023 (1718-1719)

    Louis Renard (French, 1678–1746)

    Vibrant fish dart between spiny crabs and oddly shaped crayfish, their scales gleaming in impossible colors. The seafloor teems with creatures both familiar and bizarre, each rendered in meticulous detail—a kaleidoscopic menagerie defying nature’s usual palette.

  • Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.017 (1718-1719)

    Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.017 (1718-1719)

    Louis Renard (French, 1678–1746)

    Vibrant fish, crayfish, and crabs twist across the page—some striped, others spiked, all rendered in exaggerated hues. The creatures seem to writhe with life, their unnatural colors and strange forms blurring the line between scientific record and wild imagination.

  • Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.008 (1718-1719)

    Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.008 (1718-1719)

    Louis Renard (French, 1678–1746)

    Vibrant fish dart among spiny crabs and crayfish, their scales shimmering in impossible hues. The creatures twist in exaggerated forms, as if plucked from a fevered dream of the sea’s strangest depths. Each engraving pulses with unnatural color, bending reality into something wilder.

  • Caesioperca rasor (Tas) _ Sea perch (1867)

    Caesioperca rasor (Tas) _ Sea perch (1867)

    Frank Edward Clarke (New Zealander, 1864–1935)

    A sea perch glides through muted blues, its scales catching the light. The watercolor bleeds softly at the edges, as if the fish might dissolve into the depths any moment.

  • Pleuronectes Argus, The Argus-Flounder. (1785-1797) (1)

    Pleuronectes Argus, The Argus-Flounder. (1785-1797) (1)

    Marcus Elieser Bloch (German, 1723–1799)

    The flounder lies flat against the seabed, its mottled skin blending with sand. One eye has migrated to the upper side, giving it an asymmetrical gaze. Delicate engravings trace each scale, revealing how this odd fish hides in plain sight.

  • Unidentified Fish (3)

    Unidentified Fish (3)

    Luigi Balugani (Italian, 1737–1770)

    A slender fish glides through blank space, its scales rendered in delicate watercolor—pale gold fading to translucent silver. The precise lines suggest scientific scrutiny, yet the creature seems to hover between study and dream. No habitat, no shadows; just this unnamed being, suspended in quiet examination.