After Konrad Gesner’s woodcut, “Caspian Sea Whale”, 1684

Unidentified woodcut artist after Konrad Gesner (aka Conrad Gesner; Philiatrus Euonymus) (1516–1565); see pp. 166–67 in “Nomenclator aquatilium animantium” (https://archive.org/details/mobot31753003649115/page/177/mode/2up).

“Caspian Sea Whale” (title based on the context of this print in a section dealing with the Caspian Sea and the image based on Gesner’s images of whales), c1684, woodcut illustration on laid paper, with Fraktur type letterpress text recto and verso, to page 65 of Johann Christoph Wagner’s (fl.1684/1685) “Delineatio provinciarum Pannoniae et Imperii Turcici in Oriente” (Spanish provincial Hungary and the Empire Turcici in the East), printed and published by Jakob Koppmayer (1640–1701) in 1684 in Augsburg (see this print in its context in the publication: https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=SZJOAAAAcAAJ&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA64).

Christie’s Auction House offers the following description of the publication of which this print features in the first volume:

“A rare and wide-ranging account of the history, topography, costume and other aspects of the Holy Roman and Ottoman Empires, covering a large area including the Balkans, the Near and Middle East, northern Africa, Europe and Russia” (https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-1932525).

Size: (sheet) 30.8 x 19cm.

Condition: a richly inked page in excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, significant stains (but there is age related toning to the sheet) or foxing.

I am selling this fabulous woodcut depiction of a whale, for AU$274 in total (currently US$215.25/EUR177.20/GBP152.98 at the time of posting this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this fascinating page printed in 1684, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.