Petrella Magna - Seligmann 1756

📜 Description
Original zoological engraving produced in Nuremberg between 1749 and 1776 by Johann Michael Seligmann after the natural history studies of George Edwards and Mark Catesby, published by Fleischmann. The plate depicts the “Petrella magna fulca”, also identified through the French inscription “Le Grand Pierrot, Oiseau de Tempete”, referring to a large seabird traditionally associated with oceanic environments and stormy weather. The bird is represented standing on a rocky coastal outcrop with careful attention to plumage, anatomical structure, and the morphology of its webbed beak, according to the classificatory approach characteristic of eighteenth-century scientific illustration. The composition incorporates additional coastal details and anatomical studies in the lower section of the plate, conceived to reinforce the didactic and naturalistic function of the image. The multilingual inscriptions in Latin, French, and German reflect the international circulation of zoological nomenclature during the Enlightenment period. Executed in etching with contemporary hand-coloring, the print retains the documentary and collectible qualities characteristic of major eighteenth-century scientific engravings.

📚 Historical-Artistic Note
Johann Michael Seligmann was among the principal German engravers and publishers specializing in illustrated zoological and ornithological works during the eighteenth century. His publications expanded and adapted the scientific models developed by George Edwards and Mark Catesby for the continental European market through finely engraved and hand-colored plates intended both for natural history study and for collectors of antique scientific prints. The editions issued in Nuremberg by Fleischmann represent a significant testimony to Enlightenment encyclopedic culture and the dissemination of European scientific illustration.

🧾 Technical Sheet
Type: antique print
Author / Manufacture: Johann Michael Seligmann / George Edwards / Mark Catesby
Publisher / Printer: Fleischmann
Place: Nuremberg
Period: 1749-1776
Material: paper
Technique: etching
Subject / Title: “Petrella magna fulca - Le Grand Pierrot, Oiseau de Tempete”
Dimensions: sheet 24.5 x 38.5 cm ; engraving 26.5 x 36 cm
Marks / Signatures / Inscriptions: zoological inscriptions in Latin, French, and German; “Tab. LXXIII”; engraved signatures of G. Edwards and J. M. Seligmann

🔍 Condition Report
In excellent overall condition. Paper well preserved with sharp impression and clear readability of the engraved lines. Contemporary hand-coloring remains fresh and well preserved. Minor age-related signs consistent with the period, without relevant structural or visual compromise.