Albertus Seba, Cabinet of Natural Curiosities

A most unusual collection of natural specimens Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities is one of the 18thcentury's greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the mostprized natural history books of all time. Though scientists of his eraoften collected natural specimens for research purposes, Amsterdam-basedpharmacist Albertus Seba (1665-1736) was unrivaled in his passion. Hisamazing collection of animals, plants and insects from all around the worldgained international fame during his lifetime. In 1731, after decades ofcollecting, Seba commissioned illustrations of every specimen and arrangedthe publication of a four-volume catalog-from strange and exotic plants tosnakes, frogs, crocodiles, shellfish, corals, birds, and butterflies, aswell as fantastic beasts, such as a hydra and a dragon. Seba's scenicillustrations, often mixing plants and animals in a single plate, wereunusual even for the time. The more peculiar creatures from thecollection-some of them now extinct-were as curious in Seba's day as theyare today. This reproduction is taken from a rare, hand-colored original. Theintroduction supplies background information about the fascinatingtradition to which Seba's curiosities belonged.