Fishes

  • Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.064 (1718-1719)

    Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.064 (1718-1719)

    Louis Renard (French, 1678–1746)

    Vibrant fish dart across the page, their scales shimmering in impossible hues. Nearby, a crimson crayfish raises its claws beside a crab with spiked armor. Each creature twists with exaggerated forms, as if plucked from a sailor’s wildest tale of the deep.

  • Fishes XI (1885-1890) (1)

    Fishes XI (1885-1890) (1)

    Frederick McCoy (Irish, unknown)

    Delicate watercolor strokes bring these fish to life—each scale, fin, and flicker of movement preserved with scientific precision. The colors haven’t faded; the sea might as well still ripple around them.

  • Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.024 (1718-1719)

    Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.024 (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, both creatures twisted into fantastical shapes. The sea teems with life—each specimen more bizarre than the last, as if pulled from a fever dream of the deep.

  • Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.049 (1718-1719)

    Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.049 (1718-1719)

    Louis Renard (French, 1678–1746)

    Vibrant fish dart across the page, their scales shimmering in impossible hues. Nearby, a crimson crab claws at the edge, its shell patterned with intricate swirls. Each creature seems plucked from a dream—exaggerated, surreal, yet meticulously detailed. The sea has never looked so strange or alive.

  • A Fish from the Red Sea

    A Fish from the Red Sea

    Luigi Balugani (Italian, 1737–1770)

    A vibrant fish glides through coral shadows, its scales catching the light like shards of stained glass. The Red Sea’s blues swirl around it, alive with hidden currents. Every brushstroke pulses with underwater motion—this creature could dart off the page in a flick of its tail.

  • Great Barrier Reef Fishes (1893)

    Great Barrier Reef Fishes (1893)

    William Saville-Kent (English, 1841–1908)

    Vibrant fish dart across the page, their scales shimmering like scattered gems in shallow reef waters. Each stroke captures the electric blues and fiery oranges of life beneath the surface.

  • Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.100 (1718-1719)

    Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.100 (1718-1719)

    Louis Renard (French, 1678–1746)

    Vibrant fish dart across the page, their scales shimmering in impossible hues. A crimson crayfish brandishes its claws beside a crab with spiked armor. Each creature twists in exaggerated forms, as if plucked from a fever dream of the deep.

  • Coryphaena coerulea, The Bleu-Fish (1785-1797)

    Coryphaena coerulea, The Bleu-Fish (1785-1797)

    Marcus Elieser Bloch (German, 1723–1799)

    A shimmering blue fish leaps from the page, scales etched with precision, its form both delicate and alive. The engraving captures every curve, every fin, as if frozen mid-motion in some unseen current.

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

    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.