Whittock, Nathaniel: The Art Of Drawing And Colouring, From Nature, Birds, Beasts, Fishes, And Insects: With Plain And Coloured Drawings, From Original Paintings By Morland, Vernet, Howet, Le Cave, &c. (London, 1830)

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brought from China, and presented to Sir Matthew Decker; they
were distributed to various individuals, and so much care was taken in
breeding them, that they have now become common, and are found
in every part of England. In China, the most beautiful kinds are
taken in a small lake in the province of Che-kyang. Every person of
distinction keeps them in porcelaine or glass vases, or in the small
basins that decorate the courts of the Chinese houses. The beauty of
their colours and their lively motions give great entertainment to the
Chinese ladies, whose pleasures and amusements are very limited.
Their colours vary greatly; some are marked with a fine blue, others
with brown, but those most valued are the bright silver or brilliant
gold; they are usually kept in glass vases of the form seen in the
drawing.
There are various kinds of fishes that are exceedingly beautiful, and
are easily procured by those who wish to paint from nature. The
scales of the carp, the roach, the bream, and gold-tunny, all appear the
colour of the most brilliant metals; and, as they retain their freshness
some time after being taken from the wrater, and are of course
perfectly still, are better suited for early studies from nature than
living animals.
The gold and silver fish, the subject of this lesson, are easily drawn.
Care must be taken that the scales follow each other in natural
succession, and that they curve gracefully with the bend of the body.
The general colour of the gold fish is a bright yellow, heightened with