Larus fipides - 1603

Large 3/4-page wood engraving with an unusual variety of gull coming from Ornithologiæ tomus tertius, ac postremus, of 1603, the trilogy dedicated to the ornithological world of Ulisse Aldrovandi, a foundational work published in three volumes, first issued in 1599-1600-1602, which open the Historia Naturalis series of the eminent Bologna scholar.

The depiction is accompanied by the Latin text describing the peculiarities and characteristics of Larus fipides, a particular gull, assimilated to sea swallows, called in Genoa “Martin pescao,” as Aldrovandi says he personally heard.

The condition is excellent, thanks to the superior quality of Italian papers from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, far better than contemporary foreign productions such as those from the German-speaking area. The only flaw is a slight peripheral fold along the right margin.

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