Sea Shells: Fine Art of The Seas
A reprint of Dezallier's majestic 18th century conchological engravings
Antoine-Joseph Dezallier d'Argenville (1680–1765) was a French courtier, intellectual and amateur natural
historian. Fascinated by seashells, he authored one of his era's most
lavish books, dedicate to the rarest and most beautiful examples. La Conchyliologie ou Histoire Naturelle des Coquilles de Mer, d'Eau Douce, Terrestres et Fossiles,
published in 1780, was a summation of 18th century conchology, with
drawings so vivid they sparked a Parisian fad for natural history.
The natural beauty of seashells has enchanted cultures around the world since time immemorial. The
"recreation of the eye and mind" inspired by them has been celebrated
in literature and throughout humanist circles across Europe since
antiquity: in his De oratore, the classical scholar Cicero
extolled the value of the leisure and friendship cultivated by two
friends who spent their leisurely hours collecting shells. These wonderful marine forms—"the
artifice of nature"—were considered capable of elevating the spirit and
stimulating the senses, as well as refining the taste and creativity of
artists. Throughout history, their innumerable shapes, crenulations,
and vast variety of colors and patterns have inspired painters and
jewelers, architects and textile designers, sculptors and furniture
makers, gunsmiths and glass-blowers.
TASCHEN's complete reprint of these 80 splendid hand-colored copper engraved plates, rendered in exquisite detail and the subtlest colors, is taken from one of the finest original copies.
The copy belongs to Claire Cernoia, President of Vasari Rare Books & Prints, vasaribooks.com.
About the authors:
Veronica Carpita studied art history at the University
of Pisa. Her numerous publications focus on antiquarian and scientific
collections, such as Agostino Scilla’s seminal work of conchology, La vana speculazione disingannata dal senso, published in 1670.
Sophia Willmann studied biology, and specializes in
the behaviour of marine organisms. In 2007 she took part in whale
research at the Port Elizabeth Museum, South Africa. She is also the
author of children's books that focus on biology.
Rainer Willmann holds a chair in zoology at Göttingen
University, is director of its Zoological Museum, and is co-founder of
its Centre for Biodiversity and Ecology Research. A specialist in
phlogenetics and evolution, he conducts research into biodiversity and
its history.
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