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Written by Albertus Seba (1665–1736)
The Netherlands, ca. 1734
Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design
Museum, f QH41 .S44 2001
Photo: Matt Flynn -
Albertus Seba, an apothecary based in Amsterdam, was a fervent collector of natural artifacts, including rare plants, animals, and art. Cabinets of curiosities, precursors to the modern-day museum, were sources of great pride, and Seba’s was so extensive that by 1710 he opened his house to visitors.
Seba employed skilled artists and naturalists to document his objects. In an attempt to portray animals as they would exist in the real world, he would digress from fact into fiction and often humanized his subjects, especially the mammals.
Browse the collection: creating texture,
entwining,
inspiring arrow,
morphing nature,
quizzical delicacy,
solid dreams,
whimsy kaleidoscope