Tab. XI. from Locupletissimi Rerum Naturalium Thesauri, 1734-1765
Albertus Seba; Engraver: Pieter Tanjeexpand_more
Engraving, hand-coloredexpand_more
The Minnich Collection The Ethel Morrison Van Derlip Fund, 1966expand_more P.18,859
Not on Viewexpand_more
The apothecary Albertus Seba had an appetite for natural curiosities that was equaled only by his passion for collecting every available specimen from the natural world. This distinguished his collection from other “Wunderkammern,” which typically also featured coins, archaeological artifacts, and other man-made objects.
Seba’s shop was strategically located near Amsterdam’s port. Under the pretext of dispensing remedies to the weary and sick seamen, and disregarding his own risk of contamination from tropical diseases, Seba would hurry aboard newly arrived ships and get first pick of the natural treasures that had been brought back from faraway places.
This sheet comes from the series of volumes illustrating his collection—called, for brevity’s sake, “Thesaurus.” It is an encyclopedic work on natural history, started in 1734 and completed in 1765, three decades after his death. The prints from the volume on shells (published in 1758) exhibit Seba’s aesthetic principle of display. Each plate depicts an entire drawer from his cabinet, with conches and shells artistically arranged in geometric patterns of stars, garlands, etc. To Seba, nature was equal to art.
Details
- Title
- Tab. XI. from Locupletissimi Rerum Naturalium Thesauri
- Artist Life
- 1706 - 1761
- Role
- Publisher
- Accession Number
- P.18,859
- Catalogue Raisonne
- "Fine Bird Books," p.106; "Bibliography of Fishes," Bashford Dean, Vol. I., p.307
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know
Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.
No Image Available