Grand 18thC engraving of Sponges, Coral, Sea-Urchin, Anemone.. 107, c1742.

by Gualtieri, Niccolo

Marine Life. Grand array of Sponges. Gualtieri Conchology Plate 107 c1742.

Fine original copperplate engraving published in Florence (Italy) circa 1742, for Index Testarum Conchyliorum quae adservantur in Museo Niccolai Gualtieri (List of Shells in the Museum of Nicolai Gualtieri) by Niccolo Gualtieri (1688-1744). 

18th century natural history illustrators, Giuseppe Menabuoni (1708-1745) and Antonio Pazzi (1706-1768) created 110 splendid copperplate engravings from specimens in Gualtieri's shell collection. Groups illustrating the different families of marine life, are arranged in rows, with some shells standing on end and casting small shadows. The illustration combines scientific observation and aesthetic appreciation of the natural colours, textures, and shapes of marine life. 

Niccolo Gualtieri was an Italian medical doctor and professor at the University of Pisa. His passion was conchology, and his collection of molluscs, and the system he devised for classification, were commended by eminent zoologists. In 1716 Gualtieri co-founded the first European botanical society, the Botanical Society of Florence.

Page size is 455 x 325mm (18 x 12 3/4 inches). Plate mark is 37 x 24cm (14.5 x 9.5 inches).