Here are Beautiful engravings of corals, drawn by zoologist, lepidopterist and naturalist, Eugenius JC Esper (1742-1810)

The present work is entitled 'Die Pflanzenthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Farben erleuchtet nebst Beschreibungen' (something like: Natural animal-plants in colour with enlightened commentary) that was first published in ~1791.

This particular coral reminds me very strongly of a wasp's nest, and led me to wonder on the recurrence of shared patterns in nature