Artist:
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Franz Michael Regenfuss Georg Lichtensteger (sc. scrip.) Stör
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Title:
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Frontispiece, from "Auserlesene Schnecken, Muscheln, und Andere Schaalthiere" (Selected snails, shells, and other shellfish)
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Date:
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1758
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Medium:
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Etching and engraving, hand-colored
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Dimensions:
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9 5/8 x 11 in. (24.45 x 27.94 cm) (plate, Engraving)
6 3/4 x 11 in. (17.15 x 27.94 cm) (Scrip.)
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Credit Line:
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The Minnich Collection
The Ethel Morrison Van Derlip Fund, 1966
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Location:
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Gallery 316
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After moving to Copenhagen to work as an engraver in Denmarkâs royal court, the German artist Franz Michael Regenfuss was able to continue working on the book of his dreams: an illustrated treatise on conchology. The result of his workâand that of his wife, who was responsible for beautifully coloring the drawingsâwas Choix de Coquillages et de Crustaces (âSelected snails, shells, and other shellfishâ), published in 1758 in French and in German. The largest book ever to be published on conchology, it contains twelve images of outstanding quality and reflects the passion for shells that was sweeping Europe: to know, to own, and to display shells had become a hallmark of taste and refinement. Regenfussâs work belongs to this vogue. Instead of a zoological system, it employs a solely aesthetic arrangement for the specimens, which are displayed like jewels (a âchoice,â as the title declares)âa great joy for the eyes.
Artist/Creator(s)
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Name:
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Stör
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Role:
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Engraver
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Name:
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Regenfuss, Franz Michael
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Life Dates:
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German, 1712-1780
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Name:
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Lichtensteger, Georg
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Role:
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Engraver
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Nationality:
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German
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Life Dates:
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German, 1700 - 1780
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Object Description
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Inscriptions:
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Inscription
[J. Miller pinx]
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Classification:
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Prints
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Physical Description:
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Shells
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Creation Place:
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Europe, Denmark, , , Copenhagen
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Accession #:
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P.19,088
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Owner:
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The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
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