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. This excerpt presents highlights from the breathtaking shells and corals section of the four-volume catalog published by Amsterdam-based pharmacist Albertus Seba (1665-1736).
The authors:
Irmgard Musch studied art history, history and classical archaeology in Mainz and Berlin. She has published on art of the 18th and 20th century, scientific illustrations and Kunstkammer pieces. Rainer Willmann occupies the chair for morphology, taxonomy, and evolutionary biology at the Institute for Zoology and Anthropology of the University of Gottingen. In some 120 publications he has addressed the phylogeny of insects, snail evolution, and historical and theoretical issues in biology.
Irmgard Musch studied art history, history and classical archaeology in Mainz and Berlin. She has published on art of the 18th and 20th century, scientific illustrations and Kunstkammer pieces. Rainer Willmann occupies the chair for morphology, taxonomy, and evolutionary biology at the Institute for Zoology and Anthropology of the University of Gottingen. In some 120 publications he has addressed the phylogeny of insects, snail evolution, and historical and theoretical issues in biology.
