Superb 18th century antique print of Coral c1742.

by Gualtieri, Niccolo

Fine copper engraving of Coral for Niccolo Gualtieri Plate 55. Engraved on hand-made paper, on the reverse is a small oval engraving of the Mediterranean shoreline with ships.

Original copperplate engraving printed on hand-made paper to illustrate the Conchology in the Museum of Nicolai Gualtieri (1688-1744). Published in Florence (Italy) circa 1742 (with beautiful later colour).

18th century natural history illustrators, Giuseppe Menabuoni (1708-1745) and Antonio Pazzi (1706-1768) created 110 splendid copperplate engravings from specimens in Gualtieri's shell collection. Each illustration combines scientific observation and aesthetic appreciation of the natural colours, textures, and shapes of marine life.

Niccolo Gualtieri was an Italian medical doctor and professor at the University of Pisa. His passion was conchology, and his collection of molluscs, and the system he devised for classification, were commended by eminent zoologists. In 1716 Gualtieri co-founded the first European botanical society, the Botanical Society of Florence.

Page size is 455 x 320mm (17.7/8 x 12.1/2 inches). Approximate measurements to plate mark, 370 x 240mm (14.1/2 x 9.1/2 inches).