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Johann Leonhard Frisch (1666-1743)

JOHANN LEONHARD FRISCH (1666-1743)
From Vorstellung der Vogel Deutschlandes...
Engravings with hand-color
Berlin: printed by Birnstiel, 1733-63

Johann Leonhard Frisch (1666-1743) began publishing the work in 1733. It was completed after his death in 1763 by his sons, Leopold Frisch, who wrote the text, and Ferdinand Helfreich, who together with Philip Jakob Frisch, engraved and coloured the plates. The last 30 plates were by Johann's grandson Johann Christoph Frisch. The work is divided into twelve parts for the different bird families, and covers European and some exotic species.

Johann Leonhard Frisch had a diverse career, starting as a singer, serving as an interpreter in the German army and progressing to the position of headmaster of a school in Berlin. As a man of letters of the time, he pursued many interests, including natural history and the collections of specimens to form the Cabinet of Curiosities so beloved of this early scientific era. His bird collection formed the basis for the drawings in this work.