Snakes

£750 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books

Specimen 1. Anaconda. 2. Mouse. 3. American rattlesnake. Seba's Cabinet of Curiosities is the result of a life time dedicated to research and study. Although it was common for apothecaries to collect natural specimens, Seba's collection was exceptional even his day, including many strange and unusual species, many of which are extinct today. Seba commissioned the four volume work himself, incorporating plants and animals on single plates, as well as fantastic beasts, such as the hydra and dragons. Copper plate engraving on chainlinked paper, with fine later hand-colouring, single page plate in excellent condition with full margins. Dimensions: (image) 275 x 420mm (10.75 x 16.5 inches), (sheet) 340 x 505mm (13.25 x 19.75 inches). NISSEN, Claus "Die Botanische Buchillustration", 1951 pp. 169. NISSEN, Claus "Zoologische Buchillustration", 1969 pp. 378, 3793.

• Binding: Hardcover

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