Black-footed duck, Anas peregrina nigra
9 1/4 by 14 1/2 inches
FRX165B $495
These beautiful original hand colored copper engravings are from the exceedingly rare first edition of Vorstellung der Vogel in Teutschland und Beylaugffig auch Einiger Fremden, mit Ihren Eigenschaften Beschrieben…und Nach Iheren Naturlichen Farben by Johann Leonhard Frisch, consisting of 256 hand colored plates in its entirety. We rate it one of the top 10 ornithological works of all time and the first great German bird book. Fine Bird Books, rarely generous with praise, accords it the 3 stars given to only a few works and declares in the usual understated manner “One of the most enjoyable of all bird books and rare”.
Johann Leonhard Frisch had a diverse career, starting as a singer, serving as an interpreter in the German army and progressing to the position of headmaster of a school in Berlin. As a man of letters of the time, he pursued many interests, including natural history and the collections of specimens to form the Cabinet of Curiosities so beloved of this early scientific era. His bird collection formed the basis for the drawings in this work.
The prints are all ORIGINAL copper engravings with original hand coloring from a genuine first edition of the work. They are original in every way and come to you untouched through the centuries, in totally authentic original condition and without restoration of any kind.
The condition of the plates is excellent, with the paper being a fine, strong, watermarked chain lined type of a soft white in colour. There are very few blemishes of any kind and the original hand coloring remains very fresh and vibrant. These prints are about 290 years old and are among the most powerful of all the bird portraits. It is a rare opportunity indeed to acquire these scarce museum quality prints from a truly monumental work.
