TheCabinetofNaturalCuriositiesisoneofthe18thcentury’sgreatestnaturalhistoryachievementsandremainsoneofthemostprizednaturalhistorybooksofalltime.Thoughscientistsofhiseraoftencollectednaturalspecimensforresearchpurposes,Amsterdam-basedpharmacistAlbertusSeba(1665-1736)wasunrivalledinhispassion.Hisamazingcollectionofanimals,plantsandinsectsfromallaroundtheworldgainedinternationalfameduringhislifetime.In1731,afterdecadesofcollecting,Sebacommissionedcarefulandoftenscenicillustrationsofeveryspecimen.Withthesemeticulousdrawings,hearrangedforthepublicationofafour-volumecatalog,coveringtheentirecollectionfromstrangeandexoticplantstosnakes,frogs,crocodiles,shellfish,corals,birds,andbutterflies,aswellasnowextinctcreatures.Thisreproductionistakenfromarare,hand-coloredoriginal.TheintroductionsuppliesbackgroundinformationaboutthefascinatingtraditionofnaturalcollectionstowhichSeba’scuriositiesbelonged.
CABINET CURIOSITIES AMSTERDAM ANTHROPOLOGY ED NATURAL anthropology
