Shells Plate I

Date1755-1758

Engraver Franz Michael Regenfus 1712 - 1780

After work by Gabriel Müller 1688 - 1764

OriginEurope, Germany, Nuremberg

MediumLine engraving and etching on laid paper with hand coloring

DimensionsOverall: 23 7/16 × 17 1/8 in (59.53 × 43.5cm)
Platemark: 16 7/16 × 11 in (41.75 × 27.94cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1961-278

DescriptionThe upper right corner reads, "TAB. I."
The lower margin reads, "Gab. Müller ad viv. pinx./ Cum. Priv. Sac. Caes. Majest./ F.M. Regenfus. sculp."Label TextExotic seashells and illustrations of them were popular subject matter in the eighteenth century and coincided with people's interest in the natural world. This print shows shells of various types and colors, numbered 1-12. This print was included in a series of prints in "Auserlesne Schnecken, Muscheln und andre schaalthiere," a book filled with twelve hand-colored engravings of seashells and crustaceans. The book also had a French edition titled "Choix de Coquillages et Crustaces." Engraver and publisher Franz Michael Regenfuss (1712-1780) undertook the project with the support of Count Adam Gottlob von Moltke, who was a famous collector of shells. Margaretha Helena, Regenfuss' wife, applied the watercolor to the shells. Regenfuss created the prints based on drawings by Gabriel Müller (1688-1764), a Nuremburg-based draughtsman and painter who collected shells and created many paintings and drawings of his collection. His fascination with shells led to his nickname "Amator rerun naturalium."ProvenanceBefore 1961, the Old Print Shop (New York, NY); 1961-present, purchased by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA).