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Seba’s Snakes: Exploring the Shifting Relationship between Art, Economy, and Science in 18th-century Europe
Wilkinson, Anna
Wilkinson, Anna
Abstract
Before photographs, the most reliable method for communicating new scientific discoveries was through art. Natural history illustration became particularly commercialized during the eighteenth century, as global exploration opened European eyes to the natural wonders of the world. One of the most prolific names in eighteenth-century natural science was Albertus Seba (1665-1736), a wealthy Dutch apothecary whose impressive collection of exotic specimens made him an international celebrity. My thesis analyzes his seminal publication, Locupletissimi Rerum Naturalium Thesauri Accurata Descriptio et Iconibus Artificiosissimus Expressio per Universam Physices Historiam [A Careful Description and Exceedingly Artistic Expression in Pictures of the Exceedingly Rich Treasury of Nature Throughout the Entire History of Natural Science], published initially in two volumes in 1734 and 1735 and supplemented with two additional posthumous volumes in 1759 and 1765 respectively. Commonly referred to as Seba’s Thesaurus (or Treasury), this magnum opus features descriptions of each specimen in the author’s collection accompanied by elaborate illustrations which are world-renowned for their beauty and intricacy. I focus on the Thesaurus’s second volume featuring snakes, a class of species which Seba particularly admired for their diversity and widespread range. Seba rejected the popular opinion that snakes were ugly and sinful creatures and instead argued that they exemplified God’s creativity. Seba’s Thesaurus provides a unique lens to understand the commodification of scientific knowledge and the interplay of scientific accuracy, aesthetics, and cultural appeal in early natural history illustration.
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2024-05-01
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Art and Art History