Beautiful colored woodcut of two Sea monsters ("Monstrosi piscis volantis imago/ Aquilq quthortis prior") from Ulisse Aldrovandi's 'De Piscibus Libri V'. The frontside shows one Aldrovandi's "Jenny Hanivers", which is a ray is cut, shaped and dried in order to make it look like a basilisk or a dragon. In the 16th century the creation of these creatures wasdescribed as “In order to impress common people, apothecaries and others dry rays and twist their skeletons into all sorts of remarkable poses, making the animal look like a snake or a winged dragon. They twist the body, alter the shape of the head and mouth, and remove other parts or make them smaller. The lower part of the body is cut, and what remains is lifted, to make it look like the creature has wings.” (see Fishtories.net, Jenny Hanivers) Bologna, N. Thebaldinum, 1638. Dimensions: 34,6 x 23,7 cm. Good condition, some shine through. Attention for US buyers: Due to recent postal restrictions shipping to the US can only be done by DHL, therefore higher shipping costs apply!