Plate A. XII, from "Deliciae Naturae Selectae"

Georg Wolfgang Knorr

1751–67 · Hand-colored engraving · Drawings and Prints

Knorr’s Deliciae Naturae Selectae, a study of shells, was first published in 1751 but reissued in various editions and multiple languages over the next two decades. Due in part to their significant reach, the books became a prototype for many later publications on naturalia. Knorr had based his illustrations on specimens from well-known collections of shells and corals, such as that of the wealthy Nuremberg physician C. J. Trew and the deacon August Martin Schadeloock. In most cases, inscriptions indicate the provenance of the specimens. On those plates where no provenance is given, the illustrations were likely drawn after shells from Knorr’s own collection.

Artist

Georg Wolfgang Knorr

Date

1751–67

Medium

Hand-colored engraving

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Bequest of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2019