Cabinet of Natural Curiosities
Imagine you live in Europe in the early 18th century. As far as you know there are probably just half a dozen species of snake in the world, and certainly nothing more than 2 metres long. Then along comes Albertus Seba and publishes his book with pictures of dozens of varieties of snake, including reticulated pythons that can grow up to eight metres. Not just snakes either, but lizards, butterflies, fish, frogs, plants, mammals and birds, thereby increasing European knowledge of the natural world exponentially. In fact many of these creatures would have been so fantastic that it is highly unlikely that many people would have been highly sceptical.
Treat yourself
If you have any interest in the history of Natural History, or in the art of Natural History, you will love this book. We recommend you treat yourself as it is a rare treat.
Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities is one of the 18th century's greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the most prized natural history books of all time. Though scientists of his era often collected natural specimens for research purposes, Amsterdam-based pharmacist Albertus Seba (1665-1736) was unrivaled in his passion. His amazing collection of animals, plants and insects from all around the world gained international fame during his lifetime. In 1731, after decades of collecting, Seba commissioned illustrations of every specimen and arranged the publication of a four-volume catalog-from strange and exotic plants to snakes, frogs, crocodiles, shellfish, corals, birds, and butterflies, as well as fantastic beasts, such as a hydra and a dragon.
Seba's scenic illustrations, often mixing plants and animals in a single plate, were unusual even for the time. The more peculiar creatures from the collection-some of them now extinct-were as curious in Seba's day as they are today.
This reproduction is taken from a rare, hand-colored original. The introduction supplies background information about the fascinating tradition to which Seba's curiosities belonged.
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