Book of fish. 1580.
Marguerite Waknine| N° d'inventaire | 23725 |
| Format | 15 x 21 |
| Détails | 62 p., notebook. |
| Publication | Angoulême, 2020 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9791094565674 |
There are certain works that are worlds in their own right. The Book of Fishes (Visboeck, in Dutch) by Adriaen Coenen (1514-1587) is one of them. After living his entire life by the sea, as a fisherman, then as an auctioneer at the Scheveningen auction, Adriaen Coenen, at the age of 63, undertook the creation, between 1577 and 1580, of his Book of Fishes, a unique work, in the full sense of the word, exceptional, where each page reveals astonishing spectacles where images and texts coexist, augmented by strips and cartouches created in watercolor like so many colorful decorations capable of highlighting the marvelous plates they frame.
In total, the volume will contain some 410 pages. Without ever confining itself to the strict framework of fishing, it also makes room for many other curiosities, such as dragons, exotic animals, natural phenomena and miracles. Moreover, due to the quality of its details, the work remains for modern research an inexhaustible source of information on fishing activities and conditions in 16th-century Northern Europe.
We know little about Adriaen Coenen's life, except that he attended elementary school and had two wives, the second of whom bore him a son. Finally, history also reports that Adriaen Coenen was probably aware of the value of his work, since he arranged for it to be exhibited at the annual town fair, along with his collection of dried fish: a work that could then be consulted for a few coins.
There are certain works that are worlds in their own right. The Book of Fishes (Visboeck, in Dutch) by Adriaen Coenen (1514-1587) is one of them. After living his entire life by the sea, as a fisherman, then as an auctioneer at the Scheveningen auction, Adriaen Coenen, at the age of 63, undertook the creation, between 1577 and 1580, of his Book of Fishes, a unique work, in the full sense of the word, exceptional, where each page reveals astonishing spectacles where images and texts coexist, augmented by strips and cartouches created in watercolor like so many colorful decorations capable of highlighting the marvelous plates they frame.
In total, the volume will contain some 410 pages. Without ever confining itself to the strict framework of fishing, it also makes room for many other curiosities, such as dragons, exotic animals, natural phenomena and miracles. Moreover, due to the quality of its details, the work remains for modern research an inexhaustible source of information on fishing activities and conditions in 16th-century Northern Europe.
We know little about Adriaen Coenen's life, except that he attended elementary school and had two wives, the second of whom bore him a son. Finally, history also reports that Adriaen Coenen was probably aware of the value of his work, since he arranged for it to be exhibited at the annual town fair, along with his collection of dried fish: a work that could then be consulted for a few coins.