Albertus Seba's collection of natural specimens and its pictorial inventory
Excerpt from the book 'Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities'
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Seba's large collection of preserved natural specimens, which he exhibited in a specially designated room of his house, was famous far afield. Naturalists from many countries came to view it. After Seba`s death in 1736 the collection passed to his heirs. In order to assure continued publication of the still incomplete Thesaurus, they eventually found it necessary to sell the collection. The auction took place in 1752. Thanks to a printed auction catalogue containing handwritten notes, we know the considerable sums which were paid for some of the pieces. Some items have survived the centuries and form a part of the holdings of European natural history museums, including the Zoological Institute in St. Petersburg, the Natural History Museum in Stockholm, the Zoological Museum in Amsterdam and the British Museum in London.
Albertus Seba`s Thesaurus
On 30 October 1731 a contract was signed in Amsterdam between three parties: Seba and the agents of two publishing houses agreed to produce a major work of 400 plates depicting Seba`s collection. Ultimately, the Thesaurus incorporated a magnificent 446 plates, 175 of them double-page. The four volumes appeared over a span of 30 years, for after the appearance of the first two volumes in 1734 and 1735, Seba`s death delayed the last two to 1758 and 1765. The commentary on the plates was published in a Latin-French and a Latin-Dutch edition, so as to reach a broad international readership of natural historians, collectors and book lovers. Seba wrote the text for the first two volumes largely himself, but also had other naturalists assist him.
Volume I of the Thesaurus opens with a few pages devoted to illustrations of the plant skeletons that Seba had prepared and conserved using his own special technique. These are followed by depictions of plants and animals from South America and Asia. Alongside lizards, birds, frogs, spiders and other creatures, Seba includes a few fantastical creatures, such as dragons. Volume II is dedicated primarily to snakes, but a few plants and other animals are also depicted on the plates for decorative purposes and in order to illustrate the reptiles` environment. Volume III is devoted to marine life. The imposing variety of sea creatures includes scallops, starfish, squid, sea urchins and fish. Volume IV presents, in nearly 100 plates, a large collection of insects followed by a few pages of minerals and fossils from Seba`s cabinet.
These natural-history plates are preceded not only by the author`s portrait but also by an allegorical frontispiece typical of books of the Baroque era. Figures embodying abstract concepts are here combined into a composition which yields a complex message and which represents a programmatic statement of the aims of the book. The Latin motto at the lower edge of the picture provides important clues for decoding its message. The female figure seated in the centre is thus to be understood as Industria, the personification of Industry and Diligence, who is motivated by her love of the sciences. She is busily carrying out her task, symbolized by the beehive beside her, under the protection of the enlightened personification of Truth, Veritas. Time, represented by the allegorical figure of Chronos with his scythe idle, is giving her the opportunity to pursue her work, namely, collecting.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Seba's large collection of preserved natural specimens, which he exhibited in a specially designated room of his house, was famous far afield. Naturalists from many countries came to view it. After Seba`s death in 1736 the collection passed to his heirs. In order to assure continued publication of the still incomplete Thesaurus, they eventually found it necessary to sell the collection. The auction took place in 1752. Thanks to a printed auction catalogue containing handwritten notes, we know the considerable sums which were paid for some of the pieces. Some items have survived the centuries and form a part of the holdings of European natural history museums, including the Zoological Institute in St. Petersburg, the Natural History Museum in Stockholm, the Zoological Museum in Amsterdam and the British Museum in London.
Albertus Seba`s Thesaurus
On 30 October 1731 a contract was signed in Amsterdam between three parties: Seba and the agents of two publishing houses agreed to produce a major work of 400 plates depicting Seba`s collection. Ultimately, the Thesaurus incorporated a magnificent 446 plates, 175 of them double-page. The four volumes appeared over a span of 30 years, for after the appearance of the first two volumes in 1734 and 1735, Seba`s death delayed the last two to 1758 and 1765. The commentary on the plates was published in a Latin-French and a Latin-Dutch edition, so as to reach a broad international readership of natural historians, collectors and book lovers. Seba wrote the text for the first two volumes largely himself, but also had other naturalists assist him.
Volume I of the Thesaurus opens with a few pages devoted to illustrations of the plant skeletons that Seba had prepared and conserved using his own special technique. These are followed by depictions of plants and animals from South America and Asia. Alongside lizards, birds, frogs, spiders and other creatures, Seba includes a few fantastical creatures, such as dragons. Volume II is dedicated primarily to snakes, but a few plants and other animals are also depicted on the plates for decorative purposes and in order to illustrate the reptiles` environment. Volume III is devoted to marine life. The imposing variety of sea creatures includes scallops, starfish, squid, sea urchins and fish. Volume IV presents, in nearly 100 plates, a large collection of insects followed by a few pages of minerals and fossils from Seba`s cabinet.
These natural-history plates are preceded not only by the author`s portrait but also by an allegorical frontispiece typical of books of the Baroque era. Figures embodying abstract concepts are here combined into a composition which yields a complex message and which represents a programmatic statement of the aims of the book. The Latin motto at the lower edge of the picture provides important clues for decoding its message. The female figure seated in the centre is thus to be understood as Industria, the personification of Industry and Diligence, who is motivated by her love of the sciences. She is busily carrying out her task, symbolized by the beehive beside her, under the protection of the enlightened personification of Truth, Veritas. Time, represented by the allegorical figure of Chronos with his scythe idle, is giving her the opportunity to pursue her work, namely, collecting.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities
Hardcover, 29 x 44 cm (11.4 x 17.3 in.), 636 pages
$ 200.00
$ 200.00
Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities - One of the most prized natural history books of all time
Maria Sybilla Merian: Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium, 1705. Plate XVIII