Seba: Cabinet of Natural Curiosities - Hardcover

Müsch, Irmgard; Rust, Jes; Willmann, Rainer

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 383656906X ISBN 13: 9783836569064

Publisher: TASCHEN, 2020

Synopsis

The 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 earned him international fame.

In 1731, after decades of collecting, Seba commissioned careful and often scenic illustrations of every specimen. With these meticulous drawings, he arranged for the publication of a four-volume catalog, covering the entire collection from strange and exotic plants to snakes, frogs, crocodiles, shellfish, corals, birds, and butterflies, as well as creatures that are now extinct.

Taken from a rare hand-colored original, the best-selling collection features an introduction that contextualizes the fascinating tradition of natural collections to which Seba’s curiosities belonged.

About this title

About the Authors

Irmgard Müsch, born in 1967, studied art history, history, and classical archaeology in Mainz and Berlin. Her PhD thesis from 1999 examines Johann Jakob Scheuchzer’s Kupfer-Bibel, a richly illustrated scientific commentary on the Bible from the early 18th century. She has published on art of the 18th and 20th centuries, scientific illustrations, and Kunstkammer pieces.

Jes Rust, born 1963, completed his studies in geology, paleontology, and zoology at Göttingen and Kiel. His thesis dealt with the evolution of fossil snails living in the fresh and brackish waters of prehistoric Greece. His assistantship at the Institute of Zoology in Göttingen between 1993 and 1999 was followed by his appointment in 2001 as professor of invertebrate paleontology and insect phylogeny at the University of Bonn.

Rainer Willmann holds a chair in zoology at Göttingen University, is director of its Zoological Museum, and is cofounder of its Centre for Biodiversity and Ecology Research. A specialist in phylogenetics and evolution, he conducts research into biodiversity and its history.

From the Back Cover

Albertus Sebas Naturalienkabinett gehört zu den größten naturhistorischen Errungenschaften des 18. Jahrhunderts und ist nach wie vor eines der wertvollsten Naturgeschichtsbücher aller Zeiten. Obwohl das Sammeln von Naturexemplaren zu Forschungszwecken in seinem Beruf üblich war, ging die Leidenschaft des in Amsterdam ansässigen Apothekers Albertus Seba (1665-1736) weit über seine Pflichten hinaus. Für seine erstaunliche und beispiellose Sammlung von Tieren, Pflanzen und Insekten aus aller Welt erlangte er noch zu Lebzeiten internationalen Ruhm.

Nach Jahrzehnten der Sammlertätigkeit gab Seba im Jahr 1731 Illustrationen von jedem einzelnen Exemplar in Auftrag und sorgte für die Veröffentlichung eines vierbändigen Katalogs: von merkwürdigen exotischen Pflanzen über Schlangen, Frösche, Krokodile, Schalentiere, Korallen, Vögel und Schmetterlinge bis hin zu Fantasiewesen wie Hydra und Drache.

Unsere prächtige Reproduktion entstand nach der Vorlage eines seltenen, von Hand kolorierten Originals. Die Einleitung liefert Hintergrundinformationen zur faszinierenden Tradition, der Sebas Kuriositäten angehörten.

Edition details

• Publisher: TASCHEN
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: Multiple languages
• ISBN 10: 383656906X
• ISBN 13: 9783836569064
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 592