Ruysch, Fr. Het eerste (-achtste) anatomisch kabinet van Frederic Ruysch

Frederici Ruyschii (...) Thesaurus anatomicus primus (-octavus) Amst, J. Wolters, 1701-1709, 8 (of 10) parts in 1 vol. w. separate paginations, w. 33 (of 34) mostly (large) fold. engr. plates by C. Huijberts, cont. vellum, 4to. Restored copy, lacking plate 4 of the second part, part 5 waterst., first large fold. plate re-attached to new stub, occas. tears in plates, several plates and some textlvs party restored w. thin paper, the large fold. plate in part 8 loose. Occas. other defects. OCLC lists 2 more parts published in 1716 (X) and 1726 (IX, sic).

Rare. Fredrik Ruysch (1638-1731) assembled an enormous collection of anatomical preparations which he exhibited in several houses in Amsterdam, attracting many (foreign) visitors). Tsar Peter the Great bought the entire collection, it is still part of the collection of the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg. BMN II, p.98. Hagelin p. 96 ff: "Ruysch' "cabinet" or museum was described as a perfect necropolis, all the inhabitants of which were asleep and ready to speak as soon as they were reawakened", and attracted many visitors. (...) His capacity for keen observation and his fabulous skill in injection made him the founder of eighteenth century anatomy. The illustrations are of a very high artistic merit and could almost be regarded as being precursors of surrealist art (...)" DSB 12, p. 41: "He gave private courses in anatomy to foreign students and devoted himself throughout his life to making anatomical preparations. (...) Ruysch drew on his art not only for strict medical science but also for flights of fancy. He often made up preparations in a rather romantic, dramatic way. He prepared the corpse of a child as if it were alive so that Peter the Great was inclined to kiss it. (...) Ruysch displayed these preparations in several small rented houses in Amsterdam and this "cabinet" became a major attraction for foreign visitors. (...) In 1715 he announced the sale of his collection. But no buyers presented themselves until 1717, when Peter the Great bought it for 30.000 guilders. It was carefully packed and transported by boat to Russia. The tale that the collection was destroyed by sailers drinking the embalming fluid seems not to be true, or at least only partly so."