Sea Fans and Corals

Die Pflanzenthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur were nature booklets authored by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper (1742–1810),  a German zoologist and professor at Erlangen University. He earned his doctorate in 1781 and began teaching there in 1782. In 1805, he took charge of the university's natural history department, expanding its collections. Esper is best known for his booklets and the beautiful hand-coloured illustrations.