Albertus Seba, Etzela Oostefrisius
Date1734
Engraver
Jacobus Houbraken
(1698-1780)
After work by
J. M. Quinkhard
MediumBlack and white engraving on laid paper
DimensionsOH: 17 5/8" OW: 12 1/4" Plate H: 17 3/8" Plate W: 11 7/8"
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1994-117
DescriptionLower margin reads: "J.M. Quinkhard pinx/ Jas Houbraken Sculp/ ALBERTVS SEBA, ETZELA OOSTFRISIVS/ Pharmacopeus Amftelaedamenfis/ ACAD: CAESAR: LEOPOLDINO CAROLINAE NAT: CVRIOS: COLLEGA XENOCRATES DICTVS;/ SOCIET: REG: ANGLICANAE, et ACAD: SCIENTIAR: BONONIENSIS INSTITVTVS SODALIS./ AETATIS LXVI. ANNO MDCCXXXI."Label TextThe collection of curiosities amassed during the first quarter of the 18th century by Albertus Seba, a German-born apothecary practicing in Amsterdam, was the source of many of the 451 illustrations in this four-volume work. The large folio-size plates are magnificent, but they frequently lack zoological accuracy.
Research on animals was carried beyond studying their physical appearance and habitats. Some medical pioneers during the 18th century believed that physiological studies on animals would lead to a fuller understanding of vital processes and functions in humans. The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society contain accounts of exploratory dissections of animals and autopsies of humans.
ca. 1755