Page 54 - La Naturaleza como inspiración

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it allows the species to be identified. Some feature environmental elements such as soil, branches or landscape enhance the realism of the figure. Other drawings are intended to show interesting aspects of the species, such as metamorphosis.
The collection of drawings was studied in depth by Paloma Lorente in 1993 in her doctoral thesis, which is the main source of information on these holdings. The oldest drawing dates from 1537 and the most recent from 1774. Van Berkhey framed the drawings in black and mounted them, like the rest of the collection, on laid paper supports measuring 532 x 369 mm, on which the genera or species to which they belong are often annotated. A few of van Berkhey’s drawings are not mounted and are execut- ed directly on the main support. The drawings vary insizefrom290x200mmto527x370mm.They are done chiefly in watercolours or coloured wash on laid paper. A few are monochrome in Indian and sepia ink; there are also drawings in pen, pencil and red chalk and the occasional oil painting.
Of the 977 taxonomically ordered drawings, most are insects (718) and birds (265). The rest de- pict fish (93), mammals (85), shelled molluscs (69), reptiles (27), echinoderms (6), amphibians (2), an- nelids (2) and nematodes (2). The additional sec- tions feature six drawings of fanciful animals and two of birds from the series of old masters, in addi- tion to 403 drawings illustrating the classification of insects and 36 of Lepidoptera by l’Admiraal. Salient features of the appendix of the catalogue are the six drawings of insects illustrating Albert Seba’s The- saurus and the drawings by zoologist P. Camper.
The signatures of only 12 artists have been found and only 23 drawings are dated. The maker is nor- mally known from the auction catalogue, which features a total of 42 names, mostly Dutch artists of the 17th and 18th centuries. The number of artists involved totals more than 50 if engravers are includ- ed. Van Berkhey himself made 256 drawings and
Jacob l’Admiraal (Amsterdam 1700–1770) made 225 on the metamorphosis of insects.
Other naturalists whose work features in the col- lection are Godfried Bidloo (1649–1713), Pieter Camper (Leiden 1722–The Hague 1789), Johannes Federicus Gronovius (Leiden 1686–1762), Willem Piso (1611–1678), Georg Eberhard Rumph (Hanau 1628–Amboina 1702), Stephanus Schonneveld, Jan Swammerdam (Amsterdam 1637–1680) and Francis Willughby (Essex 1635–-1672). Among the artists are some about whom very little is known, such as Cor- nelis Allard, Beeldemaker, Drost, Goere, Laveste, A. van Linschoten and Johannes Lingelbach. Others, such as Nicolas Berchem (Harlem 1620–Amsterdam 1683), Romeyn de Hooghe (Amsterdam 1645–Haar- lem 1708), Jan de Laet (Amberes 1593–Leiden 1649), Gysbert Hondekoeter (1604–?), Noah van der Meer and Cornelis Safttleven (Gorkum 1607–Rotterdam 1681) are better documented. There are fine quality watercolours of animals by Johannes Bronckhorst (Leiden 1648–Hoorn 1727), J. Evertze, Jabez Heenck (The Hague 1752–Leiden 1782), H. Hengstemberg (Hoorn 1667–1726), Pieter Holsteijn, H. Grahaine, Paulus Knogh (Dordrecht 1737–1802), Roelant Savery (Utrecht 1576–1639), Sieuwert van der Meulen (†1730), H. Prinz, Aert Schouman (Dordrecht 1710– The Hague 1792), Rochus (†1709) and Gerardus Van Veen, and Jan and Pieter Withoos.
In addition to drawings, the collection features 4,601 prints of the animal kingdom. The volume and quality of the works van Berkhey acquired to illustrate his collection are admirable. There are engravings of 40 important zoographic works from the 16th to 18th centuries. The series of illustrations assembled traces the progress towards greater realism in the graphic arts and the production of pictures that could be used for teaching natural history. The collection covers a great variety of engraving and printmaking tech- niques: woodcut and intaglio prints made in black and coloured with watercolours. It also includes col-