Albertus seba biography for kids

  • Albertus or Albert Seba (May 12, , Etzel near Friedeburg – May 2, , Amsterdam) was a Dutch pharmacist, zoologist, and collector.
  • Albertus or Albert Seba was a Dutch pharmacist, zoologist, and collector.
  • Born in , Albertus Seba decided, while still a young man, to apprentice as a pharmacist.
  • Scientist of the Day - Albertus Seba



    Albertus Seba, a Dutch pharmacist and collector of curiosities, was born May 12,   Seba amassed an amazing collection of exotic natural objects by trading medicine and services to members of the Dutch East Indies Company. In , he sold his entire collection to Peter the Great of Russia, and then immediately set about building another one. This second collection was described and illustrated in a mammoth catalogue, the Locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri (Thesaurus of Natural Things), published in 4 very large and fat folio volumes between and The Library has the first two volumes, uncolored, the only two published in Seba's lifetime, but there exist sets of all four volumes with hand-colored plates, and these sets are among the most prized of museum books by collectors.

    The plates in these volumes—and there are many—are large, and typically depict stuffed animals brought back to life, not always successful

    Albertus Seba

    Dutch pharmacist, zoologist, and collector

    Albertus or Albert Seba (May 12, , Etzel near Friedeburg – May 2, , Amsterdam) was a Dutch pharmacist, zoologist, and collector. Seba accumulated one of the largest cabinets of curiosities in the Netherlands during his time. He sold one of his cabinets in to Peter the Great of Russia. His later collections were auctioned after his death. He published descriptions of his collections in a lavishly illustrated 4 volume Thesaurus. His early work on taxonomy and natural history influenced Linnaeus.

    Career

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    Born in Etzel, Seba moved to Amsterdam as an apprentice and, around , opened a pharmacy nära the harbour. Seba asked sailors and ship surgeons to bring exotic plants and djur products he could use for preparing drugs. Seba also started to collect snakes, birds, insects, shells, and lizards in his house.

    From , he delivered various medicines to the Russian court in Saint Petersburg and sometimes accep

    Albertus Seba facts for kids

    Albertus Seba showing a lizardin a bottle

    Albertus or Albert Seba (May 12, , Etzel near Friedeburg – May 2, , Amsterdam) was a Dutch pharmacist, zoologist, and collector. Seba accumulated one of the largest cabinets of curiosities in the Netherlands during his time. He sold one of his cabinets in to Peter the Great of Russia. His later collections were auctioned after his death. He published descriptions of his collections in a lavishly illustrated 4 volume Thesaurus. His early work on taxonomy and natural history influenced Linnaeus.

    Career

    View of the Kunstkamera across the Neva.
    Title page of the Rerum Naturalium ThesaurusVol. I

    Born in Etzel, Seba moved to Amsterdam as an apprentice and, around , opened a pharmacy near the harbour. Seba asked sailors and ship surgeons to bring exotic plants and animal products he could use for preparing drugs. Seba also started to collect snakes, birds, insects, shells, and lizards in his house.

  • albertus seba biography for kids