Plate A, from "Deliciae Naturae Selectae"
Georg Wolfgang Knorr German
Not on view
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.
