Coot Bird, "Wasserhuhn": An 18th Century Hand-colored Frisch Engraving
This is a rare 18th Century hand-colored copperplate engraving entitled "Wasserhuhn" (Coot) by Johann Leonhard Frisch , which is plate 208 from the 1st edition of his publication 'Vorstellung der Vogel in Teutschland und Beylaugffig auch Einiger Fremden, mit Ihren Eigenschaften Beschrieben…und Nach Iheren Naturlichen Farben', published in Berlin, Germany in 1733. This engraving depicts a Coot bird; medium-sized water birds which have predominantly black plumage. They are usually easy to find, often swimming in open water. They are close relatives of the moorhen.
Creator: Johann Leonhard Frisch (1666 - 1743, German)
Creation Year: 1733
Dimensions: Height: 13.5 in (34.29 cm)
Width: 9 in (22.86 cm)
Medium: Engraving
Condition: See description below.
This is a rare 18th Century hand-colored copperplate engraving entitled "Wasserhuhn" (Coot) by Johann Leonhard Frisch , which is plate 208 from the 1st edition of his publication 'Vorstellung der Vogel in Teutschland und Beylaugffig auch Einiger Fremden, mit Ihren Eigenschaften Beschrieben…und Nach Iheren Naturlichen Farben', published in Berlin, Germany in 1733. This engraving depicts a Coot bird; medium-sized water birds which have predominantly black plumage. They are usually easy to find, often swimming in open water. They are close relatives of the moorhen.
Creator: Johann Leonhard Frisch (1666 - 1743, German)
Creation Year: 1733
Dimensions: Height: 13.5 in (34.29 cm)
Width: 9 in (22.86 cm)
Medium: Engraving
Condition: See description below.
This is a rare 18th Century hand-colored copperplate engraving entitled "Wasserhuhn" (Coot) by Johann Leonhard Frisch , which is plate 208 from the 1st edition of his publication 'Vorstellung der Vogel in Teutschland und Beylaugffig auch Einiger Fremden, mit Ihren Eigenschaften Beschrieben…und Nach Iheren Naturlichen Farben', published in Berlin, Germany in 1733. This engraving depicts a Coot bird; medium-sized water birds which have predominantly black plumage. They are usually easy to find, often swimming in open water. They are close relatives of the moorhen.
Creator: Johann Leonhard Frisch (1666 - 1743, German)
Creation Year: 1733
Dimensions: Height: 13.5 in (34.29 cm)
Width: 9 in (22.86 cm)
Medium: Engraving
Condition: See description below.
This beautiful hand-colored engraving of a coot bird is printed on original 18th century chain-linked laid paper with a fleur-de-lys watermark. The sheet measures 13.5" x 9". There is a tiny pinhole centrally and a very small faint mark in the lower margin. It is otherwise in very good to excellent condition.
Johann Leonhard Frisch (1666-1743) was a German scholar who was a headmaster at a school in Berlin, a singer, a minister, an interpreter for the German army, and an artist. His academic interest in natural history inspired him to form a Cabinet of Curiosities for which he created the illustrations. Frisch is credited by some with the discovery of the color 'Prussian Blue', and was responsible for the planting of mulberries on the ramparts of Berlin in a successful attempt to produce silk. Frisch's academic achievement 'Vorstellung der Vogel in Teutschland' took nearly 30 years to complete.
