Alright, let’s make it clear at first that the current setting of the cabinet is not originating from Seba. He has been deceased since the mid-18th century. That what we can observe today is a rearrangement. But let’s start from the beginning.
AAlbert Seba, aka Albertus, lived from 1665 to 1736 and he was a German-Dutch pharmacist as well as collector of natural products. Back in the times, science was prospering in the era of Renaissance. Seba, who was a wealthy man, was paying sailors to bring him exotic animals, shellfish and plants from their journeys. He processed these findings and exhibited them in his private cabinet of natural products. He later dedicated it to the Russian czar Peter II.
At last, he began to organize and draw his exhibits. Seba labeled and published them in form of plates and in books. Thus it became one of the very first encyclopedias!
Let’s return to our modern century. The publishing company Taschenverlag has published a reprint of his encyclopedia – with many drawings and pictured by Seba added. The perhaps most extensive and in my opinion most beautiful book is the “Cabinet of Natural Curiosities” which is available in three different languages.
I highly recommend this piece of literature to all natural historians and art lovers.
Picture Copyright: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Seba
Copyright: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Seba
