Maritime Spiral Elegance: A Mollusk Anthology, 1849
£270 ($360, €320)
Period original, not a reproduction.
Shipped from the Netherlands, flat, insured and tracked, worldwide. Returns accepted within 14 days.
- Date
- 1849
- Size
- 9.6 × 6.1 in (24.5 × 15.5 cm)
- Condition
- Good. Good. Some edges a bit rough, but leaving enough space for matting or framing. Some soiling due to handling over almost 200 years, adding to its patina. Study the images carefully.
- Period
- Early 19th century
- Section
- Fish and shells
- Reference
- f_38164392
- Color
- Hand colored
What the condition grades mean
- Excellent
- Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
- Very good
- Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
- Good
- Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
- Fair
- Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
This collage presents a curated anthology of mollusk illustrations, emphasizing the elegance of their spiral forms, a hallmark of marine gastropods. Each image, a hand-colored engraving from the "Dictionnaire Universel d'Histoire Naturelle," captures the intricate detail and varied morphology of these creatures. From the tightly coiled shells of terrestrial snails to the expansive whorls of marine specimens, the array celebrates the diversity and complexity inherent in the mollusk family.
The species in the provided illustrations, as detailed in the captions, are a mix of gastropods and bivalves. Here are the descriptions based on the labels:
**First Image**
1. **Vermetus lumbricalis** - A species of worm snail, known for its irregularly coiled and tube-like shell, often cemented to hard surfaces.
2. **Magilus antiquus** - An ancient type of sea snail that has an elongated, tube-shaped shell, usually found in coral environments.
3. **Turbo radiatus** - Also known as the turban snail, which has a broadly conical shell with a thickened, often distinctly patterned operculum.
**Second Image**
4. Unlabeled - Appears to be a depiction of a gastropod with a tightly coiled shell.
5. Unlabeled - Another gastropod with a more elongated, conical shell.
6. Unlabeled - Resembles a bivalve shell with a distinct ridged pattern, possibly an oyster or a type of clam.
**Third Image**
7. Unlabeled - This could be another variety of gastropod, displaying a spiral shell with pronounced grooves or ridges.
8. Unlabeled - A gastropod with a spiral shell, showing the interior whorls and potentially the operculum (the protective door-like structure).
9. Unlabeled - A detailed view of a gastropod shell's interior, highlighting the complex coiling and chambered sections.
The lack of labels in the second and third images makes specific identification challenging. However, the illustrations are consistent with the period's artistic and scientific representations of marine and terrestrial mollusks. Each image demonstrates the diversity of shell forms found within the mollusk phylum, from simple coiling to more complex and ornamented structures. These images would have contributed to the 19th-century naturalists' understanding of molluscan biology and taxonomy.
The prints provided are from the "Dictionnaire Universel d'Histoire Naturelle" (Universal Dictionary of Natural History), which was edited by Charles d'Orbigny, a renowned French naturalist of the 19th century. The prints themselves would have been created by illustrators and engravers who specialized in scientific artwork of the time. Their names are often listed in the lower corners of the prints or in the index of the volumes.
