SEBA - MARINE LIFE: CORALS print (CNIDARIA) 1734 -1769

This beautiful original double page folio engraving - with fine later professional handcolouring of Cnidaria: Brain corals, Maze brain corals, Staghorn corals, Hibiscus corals, Plate corals & Platheliminthes: Flat worms - is from Albertus Seba’s volume, "Locupletissimi rerum naturalium" thesauri, published in Amsterdam by J. Weststen, William Smith, & Jansson-Waesburg between 1734 and 1769.

Albertus Seba (1665 – 1736) was a wealthy pharmacist based in Amsterdam who over the years amassed an amazing array of exotic plants, corals, birds, fish, insects and animals from around the world.

This extraordinary collection was known as his “Cabinet of Natural Curiosities” and his Thesaurus, based on this collection, remains one of the most prized natural history books of all time.

These extremely rare coral copperplate engravings are both aesthetically appealing and highly desirable.

(Ref: Müsch, Rust, & Willmann, Cabinet of Natural Curiosities, p. 29, 31) .