Astronomia, Costellazioni - Pisces (zodiac sign); Flamsteed / Fortin - Les Poissons - 1776

Technical sheet

Title: The Fish. Representation of the constellation Pisces, with portions of the surrounding constellations; plate no. 22.
Author: John Flamsteed (1646–1719); reduction and updating by Jean-Baptiste Fortin (1750–1831).
Engraver: Étienne-Claude Voysard (1746–1812).
Draftsman: Depiction of the constellations according to the Flamsteed atlas model, in Fortin’s revision.
Publisher: F.-G. Deschamps.
Place: Paris.
Era: 1776.
Technique: Copperplate engraving on copper, with watercolor coloring executed later.
Support: Parchment paper.
Dimensions: Imprint about 18 × 22.5 cm; sheet about 22 × 25.5 cm.
Composition: Single horizontal-format plate, with central vertical fold, celestial coordinate grid and graduated frame. Title “LES POISSONS” in the upper margin; number “22” at the top right. White verso.

Description

Celestial sheet dedicated to the zodiacal constellation Pisces, titled Les Poissons, published in Paris in 1776 in the reduction of John Flamsteed’s atlas curated by Jean-Baptiste Fortin.
The composition depicts two fish joined by a long ribbon, superimposed on the distribution of stars and the celestial coordinate grid. The subsequent coloring distinguishes the bodies of the fish in green, the fins in red and the linkage in ocher yellow, on a pale blue background. The stars are indicated by symbols of varying size, accompanied by Greek and Latin letters; some are highlighted in yellow.
Around the main subject appear portions of the constellations Andromeda, Pegasus, Aries, Aquarius, Whale, and Triangles, identified by their French names. Their figures are largely drawn with dotted hatch lines, keeping the Fish as the focal constellation. Names such as “Scheat,” “Markab,” and “Algenib” are also shown.
The grid, marginal graduations and red-highlighted reference lines emphasize the astronomical function of the plate. The yellow frame, internally delimited by a thin pink border, completes the ensemble.

Historical–artistic note

The plate belongs to the tradition of figurative celestial cartography, in which the images of constellations accompany the recording of stellar positions. Flamsteed’s astronomical model is reproduced here in the reduction and updating overseen by Fortin.
The engraving relates two levels of reading: the conventional figure of Pisces and the measurable structure of the sky, defined by stars, coordinates and graduations. The watercolor coloring, added later, accentuates the figurative and decorative component of the print.

Condition Report

Paper with mild yellowing and sporadic small brown spots, mainly marginal. Central vertical fold, visible also on the reverse, margins present on all four sides, with modest handling marks and slight warping of the support.
White verso, with faint transparency of the engraving and faint surface traces. Clear impression, with good legibility of the stellar symbols, inscriptions and the grid. Later coloring well preserved.