BELON WOODCUT FISH PRINTS - THE TENCH 1553

We are excited to offer for the very first time, a selection of these extraordinary fish woodcuts (attributed to Pierre Gourdelle) from the extremely rare first edition of “De aquatilibus, libri duo,” by Pierre Belon, published in Paris, France 1553.

Belon (1517-1564), a French naturalist and explorer, was the first of the three great authors who truly founded modern itchyology in the middle of the 16th century, Rondelet followed in 1554 and 1555, and Salviani from 1554 - 1558.

Belon personally saw and examined the fishes illustrated and made sure that they were drawn correctly. Most of his marine fishes are from the Mediterranean, others came from the Atlantic ocean and the fish market in Paris.

Ref., “Historical Portrait of the Progress of Ichthyology, from Its Origins to Our Own Time – Georges Cuvier.”  Pietsch 

“Belon is looked upon as the founder of modern ichthyology. The illustrations of fishes and some of the aquatic animals in this volume are of exceptional quality for the sixteenth century.”

Casey A. Woods “An Introduction to The Literature of Vertebrate Zoology”