Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Monstrorum Historia

Woodcut illustrations from Aldrovandi's 'History of Monsters'



16th century woodcut of monster by Aldronvandi
Capreolus Polyceros



16th century woodcut of monster by Aldronvandi
Monstrum triceps capite Vulpis, Draconis, & Aquilae



16th century woodcut of monster by Aldronvandi
Monstrum tetrachiron alatum capite humano aurito



16th century woodcut of monster by Aldronvandi
Orobonis Piscis effigies



16th century woodcut of monster by Aldronvandi
Camphurch effigies



16th century woodcut of monster by Aldronvandi
Homo Fanesius auritus



16th century woodcut of monster by Aldronvandi
Icon Monstrosae cuiusdam Chimaerae



16th century woodcut of monster by Aldronvandi
Monstrum alatum, & cornutum instar Cacodaemonis



16th century woodcut of monster by Aldronvandi
Pseudophyseter



16th century woodcut of monster by Aldronvandi
Monstrum Marinum rudimenta habitus Episcopi referens



16th century woodcut of monster by Aldronvandi
Equus marinus monstrosus



16th century woodcut of monster by Aldronvandi
Aper Marinus Cetaceus



16th century woodcut of monster by Aldronvandi
Canis monstroso capite



16th century woodcut of monster by Aldronvandi
Monstra Niliaca Parei



16th century woodcut of seamonster by Aldronvandi
Infans [..]^, cum promuscide, & capitibus animalium



16th century woodcut of sea monster by Aldronvandi
Monstrosus Sur marinus



16th century woodcut of marine monster by Aldronvandi
Draco marinus monophthalmos bipes



16th century woodcut of chicken monster by Aldronvandi
Gallus Indicus auritus tridactylus



16th century woodcut of giant chicken monster by Aldronvandi
Gallus monstrosus



16th century woodcut of monster by Aldronvandi
Monstrum cornutum, and alatum aliud



16th century woodcut of monster by Aldronvandi
Monstrum hermaphroditicum pedibus aquilinis



To quote myself..
"Ulissi Aldrovandi (Aldrovandus) (1522-1605) graduated from Padua and Bologna Universities with degrees in law, philosophy and medicine and taught logic to supplement the occasional patronage bestowed on him by his cousin, the Pope.

During nearly a year of confinement in Rome while fighting a heresy charge, Aldrovandi developed a strong interest in the natural world. He began to collect all manner of specimens which apparently came to constitute a formidable natural history museum for those that visited him.

He travelled quite a bit in his quest for specimens and recorded his observations in some 4000 manuscripts, a number of which were published during his lifetime. His writings include studies in ornithology, medicine, hydrology, zoology, botany and, as can be imagined from the embellished and fantastical images here, a paper on mythical creatures as well (among others).

Aldrovandi was instrumental in establishing the botanical gardens in Bologna and his alma mater there awarded him the first Professorial chair in natural science."

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Bird Eggs

Hand-coloured engravings from 1818 by JF Naumann


Die Eier der Vögel Deutschlands b, 1818



Die Eier der Vögel Deutschlands e, 1818



Die Eier der Vögel Deutschlands f, 1818



Die Eier der Vögel Deutschlands d, 1818



Die Eier der Vögel Deutschlands i, 1818



Die Eier der Vögel Deutschlands a, 1818



Die Eier der Vögel Deutschlands h, 1818



Die Eier der Vögel Deutschlands g, 1818



Die Eier der Vögel Deutschlands, 1818



Die Eier der Vögel Deutschlands c, 1818


Images from the 5-volume series, 'Die Eier der Vögel Deutschlands und der benachbarten Länder in naturgetreuen Abbildungen und Beschreibungen' by Johann Friedrich Naumann, 1818, at the Center for Retrospective Digitization, Göttingen (GDZ). (~Bird eggs from German and neighbouring countries - described and illustrated) [There are no further illustrations; there are two per volume. The images above were extracted from pdfs.]

Naumann (1780-1857) was a self-taught engraver and etcher and began his ornithological career by contributing illustrations and later, observations, to his father's publications on birds.

The younger Naumann followed in his father's footsteps and released many books on German birds, including his magnum opus, a 12-volume illustrated natural history of German birds. Naumann was awarded a professorship and honorary doctorate later in life, and he also co-founded the German Ornithological Society in 1850.

Previously: The Family Nest Egg.

 
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