Numenius Ruber - Seligmann 1756

📜 Description
Original ornithological engraving titled “Numenius Ruber – Corlieu Rouge”, published in Nuremberg between 1749 and 1776 by Fleischmann as part of the celebrated series “Sammlung Verschiedener Ausländischer und Seltener Vogel (...)”, engraved by Johann Michael Seligmann after natural history models by George Edwards and Mark Catesby. The plate depicts a red curlew shown in profile, rendered with careful taxonomic observation and placed within a structured natural landscape according to the scientific and decorative conventions of eighteenth-century zoological illustration. The composition combines analytical study of the bird with scenic botanical and landscape elements, creating a balance between encyclopedic function and ornamental quality characteristic of antique natural history prints of the Enlightenment period. The identifying inscriptions “Numenius Ruber” and “Corlieu Rouge” reinforce the scientific interpretation of the subject and reflect the international editorial context of European illustrated natural history publishing. Particularly characteristic is the decorative scenic enhancement introduced by Seligmann in his reinterpretation of the works of Catesby and Edwards, adding visual richness while preserving the documentary rigor of the scientific engraving.

📚 Historical-Artistic Note
Johann Michael Seligmann (1720–1762) was a German engraver and publisher active in Nuremberg, best known for his illustrated publications devoted to natural history and exotic birds. His engravings frequently reinterpreted compositions created by the English naturalists George Edwards and Mark Catesby, both central figures in the development of eighteenth-century ornithological illustration. The series “Sammlung Verschiedener Ausländischer und Seltener Vogel (...)” represents one of the most significant European examples of scientific zoological illustration, distinguished by its high engraving quality and integration of decorative landscape elements. The plates from this publication were intended both for scientific study and cultivated collecting during a period in which interest in exotic species and natural classification was rapidly expanding across Europe.

🧾 Technical Sheet
Type: antique print
Author / Manufacture: J. M. Seligmann; George Edwards; Mark Catesby
Publisher / Printer: Fleischmann, Nuremberg
Place: Nuremberg
Period: 1749–1776
Material: paper
Technique: etching
Subject / Title: “Numenius Ruber – Corlieu Rouge”
Edition / Print Run: from “Sammlung Verschiedener Auslandischer un Seltener Vogel (...)”
Dimensions: sheet 24.5 × 38.5 cm; engraving 22 × 30 cm
Marks / Signatures / Inscriptions: inscriptions “Numenius Ruber” and “Corlieu Rouge”

🔍 Condition Report
Excellent overall condition. Well-preserved sheet with strong impression and clearly legible details. Minor traces of age consistent with period and typology. Regular margins and good overall preservation of the engraved composition.