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Gualtieri, Niccolo, Tab 49, Florence 1742 $975. |
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 Tab. 49
It may be difficult for a twenty first century audience to appreciate the fervor caused by new natural history discoveries during the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries. As exploration and colonization expanded contemporary knowledge, so too did the new "wonders" of the natural world which were brought back to Europe and studied. The documentation of these new finds was quite important and wonderful natural history books were created to collate and define the new arrivals. This shell engraving was an illustration in just one of these works. This engraving was included in a book by Niccolo Gualtieri entitled, Index Testarum Conchyliorum, published in Florence in 1742. Gualtieri was a physician as well as a Professor at the University of Pisa. His great love was the study of mollusks and he created a major collection of exotic seashells, housed today at the university. This large format engraving with its delicate hand coloring is a wonderful example of his work.
17 1/4" x 12: sheet size
Copper plate engraving with modern hand color.
Excellent condition.
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