December 2 – D’Amboinsche Rariteitkamer, 1705
Georg Eberhard Rumphius, or Rumpf, was a German-born botanist born in 1627. He was employed by the Dutch East India Company and sent to the Maluku Islands, Indonesia. Although a merchant he was given leave to study the local wildlife and plants and is most well-known for his works on natural history – D’Amboinsche Rariteitkamer (1705) and Herbarium Amboinense (1741).
Due to many unfortunate circumstances, during his lifetime Rumpf did not see the publication of his works and both were published posthumously. The publication of the Rariteitkamer, considered a classic of conchology, was arranged by a friend of Rumpf and includes illustrations commissioned from Maria Merian, famous for her Metamorphosis of the Insects of Surinam (1705).
The Libraries and Museums collection contains a 1705 copy of D’amboinsche rariteitkamer (ID: sf QL423.H6R8), complete with engravings.