Histoire Naturelle Des Dorades De La Chine (1780) contains forty-eight stunning engravings of goldfish. This was the first monograph on goldfish ever published in Europe. These images were created by French court engraver François-Nicolas Martinet.
Goldfish haven't always been the low-maintenance, fairground prizes we know today. Long before they became symbols of childhood boredom, they were prized by emperors and admired for their rare beauty. These bright, ornamental fish were once symbols of status in China. They were bred from common carp, after a natural mutation gave them their golden color.
The 48 hand-colored plates in the monograph depict 88 types of ornamental fish in soft washes of gold, blue, and green. These dreamy engravings are now in the public domain (yay!). Few copies of the book remain today. One rare edition sold at Christie's in 2022 for over £27,000.
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