The Perry Pl. 59, Spondylus is a perfect addition to your seaside home!
This hand-colored aquatint engraving records an assortment of shell specimens organized in a harmonious composition. Adorn your home with this aesthetic and informative natural history print!
About Conchology, or the Natural History of Shells
Published in 1811, Conchology, or the Natural History of Shells was an illustrated study of shells and the creatures that occupy them. Created by George Perry, the shell illustrations were based on specimens in the British Museum and local private collections. The folio was intended to instruct those interested in marine life and to serve as a visual reference and source of inspiration for artists, designers, and architects. Perry’s folio was the only shell book to contain hand-colored aquatint engravings.
About George Perry
George Perry (b. 1771) was a Liverpool architect and sculptor who pursued a career in natural history after moving to London in 1807. While in London, Perry joined a circle of naturalists who observed flaws in the Linnean system of classification – the dominant system for classifying natural specimens at the time. Instead, he and his friends looked to the writings of French naturalists Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Georges Cuvier whose theories better suited the taxonomy of fossils and shells. Perry’s most notable illustrated publication was Conchology, or the Natural History of Shells (1811) which sought to introduce a new system of classifying shells through beautifully illuminated aquatint engravings.
To learn more about Perry Pl. 59, Spondylus, email us at [email protected] or check out our articles Evolving Impressions – Unfolding the History of Prints as Art Objects and Collectibles and What is an Engraving? A Guide to Intaglio Printmaking Techniques.
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