Lizard (available)

Detail

Detail

George Wolfgang Knorr (1705-1761), B. R. Dietzschin, Christian Leinberger, et al. (after)
Jac. Andreas Eisemann, S. Leitner, Jr, et al. (engravers)
Lizard
Seal, Sold
Seashells, Sold
Turtle Shells, Sold
Marine Plants including Seaweed, Sold
Starfish, Sold
Pufferfish or Blowfish, Sold
from Deliciae Naturae Selectae Oder Auserlefenes Naturalien Cabinet
[Selected Delights of Nature, or the Exquisite Collector's Cabinet]
Nuremburg, Germany: 1767
Hand-colored engraving
19.5 x 14 inches, overall
13.5 x 10.25 inches, plate mark
$550, Lizard still available

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The print of seashells shows various specimens artistically arranged on the sheet. A collection of five turtle shells is depicted, each shell having distinct patterns and colors. A study of marine botanical life includes five species of plants. A print showing primarily a seal also includes two botanical specimens. Another print comprises an arrangement of five starfish. Two varieties of puffer fish, one having spines, both with beaks, compose another study and are depicted facing the same direction. A lizard appears shown from above in a similar style.

Just below the images of the prints is a dedication to patrons and collectors involved in the production of the prints. In some instances, the specimens were part of their cabinet of curiosity collections.

Some of the prints in the series bear the dedication “Ex Museo Excell. Dn. D. Christ. Jac. Trew. S. S.” This refers to the collection of Christoph Jacob Trew, a physician and botanist and major patron of natural history artists and works. Trew is most famous for his support of botanical artist Dionysius Ehret's in publishing both Plantae Selectae and Hortus Nitidissimis, among the finest ever 18th-century botanical sets.

Georg Wolfgang Knorr was a German paleontologist, as well as a painter, draftsman, engraver, collector and art dealer. At age 18, he became a copperplate engraver for Leonhard Blanc, working with Martin Tyroff on the illustrations for Jacob Scheuchzer's Physica sacra (1731). Later he engraved portraits, landscapes, geological formations, and animal studies after Dürer and the Kilian family. In the second half of the 18th century, Nuremberg overtook Augsburg as the center of production for fine natural history books in Germany . There, Knorr published scientific works distinguished by their beautiful hand-colored plates.

Condition: Generally very good with the usual overall toning and light edge wear.

References:

Dance, S. Peter. The Art of Natural History pp. 78 & 217.

Lanckoronska & Öhler I, 46.

Nissen 2235.