Fishes

  • Unidentified Fish (9)

    Unidentified Fish (9)

    Luigi Balugani (Italian, 1737–1770)

    A slender fish with delicate fins hovers against pale paper, its scales rendered in precise watercolor strokes. The creature seems both familiar and strange—an enigma suspended in muted blues and grays, waiting to be named.

  • Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.031 (1718-1719)

    Poissons, ecrevisses et crabes, de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires.. Pl.031 (1718-1719)

    Louis Renard (French, 1678–1746)

    Vibrant fish dart between spiny crabs and crimson crayfish, their scales shimmering in impossible hues. The seafloor teems with creatures both familiar and bizarre—each twist of a tail, each claw’s curve, defying expectation. A world where nature’s palette runs wild.

  • Fish Series, No. 4 (1916)

    Fish Series, No. 4 (1916)

    Charles Demuth (American, 1883–1935)

    A lone fish floats in pale watercolor, its scales rendered with scientific precision yet softened by the brush. The delicate wash of blues and grays makes it seem suspended mid-motion, caught between observation and imagination.

  • Anthias testudineus, The Tortoise-fish. (1785-1797)

    Anthias testudineus, The Tortoise-fish. (1785-1797)

    Marcus Elieser Bloch (German, 1723–1799)

    A delicate fish with tortoise-like markings swims across the page, its scales etched in precise lines. The engraving balances scientific detail with quiet elegance, turning a marine creature into something both studied and artful.

  • Unidentified Fish (2)

    Unidentified Fish (2)

    Luigi Balugani (Italian, 1737–1770)

    A slender fish glides through the page, its scales rendered in delicate watercolor—vivid blues and silvers shimmer against the paper. The precise lines suggest careful observation, yet its species remains unnamed, a mystery suspended in pigment.

  • Unidentified Fish (13)

    Unidentified Fish (13)

    Luigi Balugani (Italian, 1737–1770)

    A slender fish glides through the page, its scales rendered in delicate watercolor—pale blues and yellows fading into the paper like it might dart away at any moment. No name, no habitat, just this quiet, precise record of a creature suspended between science and art.

  • Fishes XIII (1885-1890) (1)

    Fishes XIII (1885-1890) (1)

    Frederick McCoy (Irish, unknown)

    Delicate watercolor strokes bring these fish to life—each scale, fin, and glint of light rendered with scientific precision. The muted blues and greens suggest depth, as if they might dart off the page into unseen waters. A quiet study, both art and record, frozen in careful detail.

  • Scomber australasicus (Tas) _ Blue mackerel (1869)

    Scomber australasicus (Tas) _ Blue mackerel (1869)

    Frank Edward Clarke (New Zealander, 1864–1935)

    The blue mackerel glides across the page, its silver scales catching light against deep indigo. Watercolor bleeds like ocean currents around its streamlined form, a fleeting glimpse of life suspended in brushstrokes.

  • Fishes X (1885-1890) (1)

    Fishes X (1885-1890) (1)

    Frederick McCoy (Irish, unknown)

    Delicate watercolor strokes bring these fish to life—each scale, fin, and glint of light rendered with scientific precision. The colors bleed softly, as if the creatures might flick their tails and slip back into the water.