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Back to Rare Books Icones Animalium: Images from Renaissance science
The rare encyclopaedia, Icones animalium, is believed to be one of its kind in Australia and was acquired by the Australian Museum in 1919. The book is currently undergoing comprehensive conservation treatment at the Museum to restore the 134 page volume, which features some 140 hand-coloured woodcuts of real and fantastic animals. The volume was "pulled down" into its separate leaves. Icones animalium was published in 1560 by Swiss zoologist Conrad Gessner (1516-1565). Gessner's writings were the first large-scale illustrated works on zoology, and became standard reference works throughout Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. Two display cases featuring the conservation of Icones animalium, showing some of the conservation equipment used, together with several of the original illustrated pages, were on display at the Australian Museum. For further information, contact the Research Library.
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Sydneysiders were given the opportunity to view a rare zoological encyclopaedia from the 16th century as part of a display of scientific books from the Renaissance at the Australian Museum.
