Bloch — Three Folio Fish Plates c.1786 (Matched Trio)
Bloch — Three Folio Fish Plates c.1786 (Matched Trio)
A matched trio of three original Bloch folio fish plates c.1786 — the Green-Tailed Gilt-Head, the Toothed Gilt-Head, and the Sea-Bream — all from the same foundational work of ichthyological illustration, guaranteeing matched paper stock, margins, and printing quality.
Why Buy as a Trio
Three coordinated Bloch plates framed together as a triptych create an exceptional statement for a dining room, coastal home, or serious collector's study. The matched Sparus subjects (all gilt-heads / sea-breams) create natural visual coherence. Individual plates are also available; the trio offers savings and guaranteed matching.
About Marcus Elieser Bloch (1723–1799)
Marcus Elieser Bloch was a German-Jewish physician and naturalist who turned to ichthyology late in life after establishing his medical practice in Berlin. He collected specimens from around the world through a network of correspondents and described over 200 species of fish — many for the first time in scientific literature.
About the Work
Ichthyologie, ou Histoire Naturelle Générale et Particulière des Poissons was published in Berlin by the author and F. de la Garde between 1785 and 1797. The work contains 432 hand-colored folio engravings, many heightened with gold, silver, and bronze pigments to reproduce the metallic sheen of fish scales. Plate names appear in Latin, French, English, and German. Bonhams' catalogers call it "possibly the most beautiful book on fishes ever published" (Dance, p.56); Nissen describes it as "the finest illustrated work on fishes ever produced."
Scarcity & Market Context
Complete Ichthyologie sets (12 volumes in 6) are exceedingly rare and have sold at Bonhams and Christie's in the $40,000–$80,000+ range. Individual hand-colored folio plates appear regularly at specialist dealers — George Glazer Gallery has offered examples at $575 each; Trillium and Arader Galleries at $350–$700 each depending on subject. Plates with silver and gold heightening command the highest prices. The work is a benchmark of 18th-century European scientific illustration.
Institutional Holdings
Complete copies at the British Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Smithsonian Libraries, and the Arader Galleries collections. Burghley House once held a copy with provenance inscription.
Dimensions
Each sheet approximately 10.5 × 17 inches; plate mark approximately 8 × 14.75 inches
Frame: This piece ships unframed — the sheet or plate only. We can recommend framers in your area or ship to your preferred framer. Professional framing with archival materials typically runs $150–$400 depending on size and finish.
Shipping Terms
Shipping costs vary by product, packaging requirements, destination, carrier, and insurance value. We do not use flat-rate shipping because antique prints, maps, paintings, and books each require different packing — some ship flat between archival boards, some ship rolled, some require custom-built crates with shock absorption, and framed pieces need extra protection for glass and corners.
How our shipping process works:
- You place your order (shipping is calculated as $0 at checkout)
- We prepare a custom shipping quote for your destination — typically within 24 hours
- We contact you to confirm carrier options (USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL), insurance value, and delivery timeline
- Once you approve the shipping quote, we send a separate invoice for shipping
- We pack with archival-grade materials and insure at full value
Questions on shipping before you buy? Contact us with your zip code (or international address) and we'll provide a quote before you commit to purchase.
Important Buyer Notice
These pieces are antique originals, ranging from approximately 100 to over 400 years old. Each piece will show varying degrees of age-appropriate condition: paper toning, foxing, edge wear, fold marks, minor restoration, light staining, and other natural signs of age are common and expected for works of this period. Condition varies from piece to piece.
It is the buyer's responsibility to confirm that the piece is in the condition they require before purchase. We are always happy to answer any questions about the state of the work, provide additional photographs of specific areas, describe any flaws or repairs in detail, or arrange a video review before you buy. Please contact us at any time with questions — we believe an informed buyer is the best customer.
All pieces are guaranteed authentic originals (not reproductions, facsimiles, or modern prints). We offer a full refund if authenticity is ever disputed by a qualified third party.