Albertus Seba (1665-1736). Locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri. Amstelaedami: apud J. Wetstenium, & Gul. Smith, & Janssonio-Waesbergios, 1734-1765. 4 vols. Ellis Aves H28, v.1

Albertus Seba (1665-1736). Locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri. Amstelaedami: apud J. Wetstenium, & Gul. Smith, & Janssonio-Waesbergios, 1734-1765. 4 vols. Ellis Aves H28, v.1

Anteaters for the Tsar! If this New World native, the anteater, could write an account of how he made it to the Kunstkammer in Sankt Pieter Burkh in the early 18th century, it would be a best-seller. Peter the Great had begun to purchase natural history collections (birds, fishes, insects, monsters, anatomical preparations) during his pre-Petersburgian travels in the West, with an eye to the development of medicine in Russia. Albertus Seba was a wealthy Dutch apothecary, merchant and traveler whose collection of natural history objects was the largest of its kind in his day. His collection would form the nucleus of the Russian national collections in St. Petersburg after purchase by Peter. This work was produced simultaneously in Latin-Dutch and Latin-French editions, in both colored and uncolored versions. Ours is one of the few copies with colored plates.

Ellis Aves H28, Vol. 1