HAECKEL (Ernst). Kunstformen der Natur. Leipzig und Wien,...

HAECKEL (Ernst). Kunstformen der Natur. Leipzig und Wien, Bibliographisches Institut, 1904. Small folio, first edition illustrated with 100 numbered plates in black and color, some with serpents showing the contours of the subjects depicted. Complete with 51-page final supplement. This is the first one-volume edition of Haeckel's plates, which first appeared in issues from 1899 to 1904. Publisher's full green percaline, decorated front board, titled smooth spine. Handwritten bookplate Thekla Gesenius, Zurich, 1918 and handwritten bill pasted on the flyleaf. Label C. M. Ebell's Buch & Kunsthandlung, Zurich. A superb, almost mint copy of Haeckel's most important work, whose plates had a major influence on Art Nouveau and Jugendstil ornamentation, combining scientific and highly accurate depictions of the living world, mainly underwater, with a taste for the pure form and aesthetic appearance of these organisms. These include corals, jellyfish, shells, marine plants, fish, ammonites, arthropods, octopuses, frogs, crustaceans, turtles and more. (slight scratches) Expert : Nicolas Asvisio