The Colourful World of Naturalia Drawings
Lucie Čermáková
The field of visual representations of nature is very attractive for historians of art and science and it has recently gained remarkable attention. The early modern period is in this regard crucial because the production of naturalia pictures was increasing significantly during that time. Usually attention was paid rather to printed illustrations, that is, pictures figured together with published texts. When publications appeared on original drawings they focused only on individual collections or authors. Such a comprehensive work like Eye for Detail is exceptional. The book opens to the reader the whole miscellaneous and colourful world of naturalia drawings from the period 1500-1630. The publication originated from Egmondʼs long time interest and devotion to renaissance natural history and its visual representations. An example of her devotion among others is the rediscovery of two zoological albums created by Felix Platter with original drawings used for Gesner’s Historia animalium.