This is a very early copper engraving of the Scorpion Fish. It is plate 197 from this extremely rare Italian publication. The full-page engraved illustrations are attributed to Antoine Lafreri. Published in Rome by Hippolito Salviani. Most plates are blank on the verso, however this plate contains Latin text with Salviani's name and the publication's title at top. A rare issue.

The Aquatilium animalium historiae plate is one of the greatest 16th century works of ichthyology, equal in importance to Rondelet or Belon. The publishing of the work was interrupted in 1555 by the death of Salviani’s sponsor Cardinal Marcello Cervini, whose arms appear in the engraved title page. In the end, Salviani dedicated his work to Pope Paul IV. He commissioned the images of Italian fish from Bernard Aretin who made the original drawings from specimens found in fish markets.

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Condition: B

The engraving is fine and on a full sheet of thin paper with wide margins. Some foxing marks.