Sea shells – Albertus Seba, 1735-1765

TUN AND HELMET SHELLS FROM TROPICAL SEAS

Copper engraving from the famous “Thesaurus” of Albertus Seba, published in Amsterdam between 1734 and 1765. With original hand colouring. Size: 68 × 79 cm (frame).

This richly coloured engraving depicts a wide variety of shells of tun and helmet snails from tropical seas, including the Indo-Pacific region and the western Atlantic Ocean. The shells are carefully arranged across the plate and shown from different angles, bringing out their remarkably varied forms, ribs, patterns and colours.

Albertus Seba (1665–1736) was an Amsterdam apothecary and one of the most important natural history collectors of his time. Through his contacts with sailors and ship’s surgeons calling at the port of Amsterdam, he assembled an extensive collection of exotic animals, plants and other naturalia. Many of these specimens were acquired in exchange for medicines and medical treatment.

In 1717, Seba sold his first collection for 15,000 guilders to Peter the Great. It was incorporated into the Kunstkamera in St Petersburg. Seba subsequently began building a new collection, which eventually formed the basis of his monumental Locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri accurata descriptio [Accurate Description of a Very Rich Treasury of Natural Objects], generally known simply as the Thesaurus.

This four-volume work ranks among the most spectacular natural history publications of the eighteenth century. It was an exceptionally costly undertaking, both to produce and to purchase. Its hundreds of plates were engraved by several different artists and could be ordered with hand colouring. The Thesaurus combines scientific ambition with a distinctly decorative presentation and provides an important record of both natural history knowledge and collecting culture in early eighteenth-century Europe.

Price: Euro 1.350,- (incl. frame)