Beautiful woodcut, hand-colored and heightened with egg-white, of two snakes; one of them being "the king of snakes" is depicted with a golden crown, from Gesner's 'Fischbuch'. Early German edition of the famous encyclopedia. Frankfurt, Saur, 1598. Dimensions: 35 x 22,5 cm. Conrad Gesner is considered the father of modern scientific bibliography, zoology, and botany. He was a Renaissance polymath, physician, philosopher, bibliographer, philologist, natural historian, and illustrator who devoted most of his time to collecting, researching, and writing. He compiled monumental works on bibliography (Bibliotheca universalis 1545–1549) and zoology (Historia Animalium 1551–1558). These woodcuts were published in the so-called 'Fischbuch', which was dedicated to fish and marine animals. Good condition, a few small spots in white margin.