Synopses & Reviews
Albertus Seba's
Cabinet of 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.
Our superb reproduction is taken from a rare, hand-colored original. The introduction supplies background information about the fascinating tradition to which Seba's curiosities belonged.
Review
"Taschen brings us yet another luscious and affordable coffee table book, Albertus Seba: Cabinet of Natural Curiosities. Eye-popping displays of birds, butterflies, snakes, seashells, sea urchins, exotic plants, crocodiles, crustaceans and more, ignite the imagination and leave us in awe of the diversity of the natural world as well as the engravers' skill in producing these beautifully detailed plates." The Huffington Post
Review
"At last we got our hands on it — Albertus Seba's prized Cabinet of Natural Curiosities. We'd foolishly missed its latest re-release by Taschen a few years back, and were reluctant to buying it second-hand for a fortune from dodgy eBay sellers. Our frustrated craving for this elusive collection of plates had imbued it with a nearly mythical aura; now that we can peruse the real thing at will, we remember exactly why."
Review
"When we're settling down of an evening in the parlor at Proper Mag Towers...we like nothing more than pawing through a nice big book...we're also fascinated on tomes dedicated to natural curiosities. So image our surprise and elation when we discovered the fantabulous fauna and flora contained within Amsterdam-based pharmacist Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities. A faithful reproduction of the more interesting images featured in Albertus's original collection....This book contains the more interesting specimens from his exciting expeditions including various crocodiles and butterflies and even hydras and dragons and we think it's absolutely, rudy splendid." Proper Magazine, London
Review
"A must-have for those that collect early natural history books and/or art!" Guardian.co.uk
Synopsis
Albertus Seba's curious creatures: A most unusual collection of natural specimens 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. Text in English, French, and German
Synopsis
The Cabinet of Natural Curiosities of Albertus Seba (1665-1736) 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 Seba's era often collected natural specimens for research purposes, the Amsterdam-based pharmacist 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 catalogue. The nature Wunderkammer featured everything 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. Many illustrations mixed plants and animals into a single scenic plate.
This reproduction is taken from a rare hand-colored original and features an introduction to the natural history and collecting traditions in which Seba played such an important role.
About the Author
Irmgard Müsch, born in 1967, studied art history, history and classical archaeology in Mainz and Berlin. Her Ph.D. 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 century, scientific illustrations and Kunstkammer pieces.
Jes Rust, born 1963, completed his studies in geology, palaeontology 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 palaeontology 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 co-founder of its Centre for Biodiversity and Ecology Research. A specialist in phlogenetics and evolution, he conducts research into biodiversity and its history.