Sciaena

Artist: Jonathan Couch (1789-1870)

Date: 1862

Style: Hand-Coloured Copper Engraved Plates

Paper Size: Approximately 15 x 25 cm 6 x 9 ¾ inches

Condition: Very good to excellent. Minor imperfections may be present due to age. Please examine the image carefully and contact us with any questions.

Description:

The 1862 prints are particularly sought after due to their hand-colouring. Subsequent editions, published by Jonathan Couch using the chromolithographic process, lack this distinctive feature.

Jonathan Couch (1789-1870) based these on his own watercolours of freshly caught specimens. This commitment to first-hand observation resulted in remarkably accurate illustrations. While his expertise lay in the diverse marine life of the western English Channel, his work also contains valuable original observations on the natural history of numerous sea fish.

Jonathan Couch, a quintessential Victorian provincial naturalist, was born in Polperro, Cornwall. After studying medicine in London, he returned to his hometown in 1810 to practise as a doctor and apothecary. His interests spanned zoology, botany, geology, ichthyology, archaeology, Cornish folklore and local history.