Drawings by Samuel Niedenthal. The origins of natural history and zoology in Pomerania in the 17th century

Abstract

The aim of the work is the analysis of the extensive collection of the zoological drawings by Samuel Niedenthal, that has been preserved in Dresden. They were executed using various techniques and they are depicting a variety of animal species. This article drew attention especially to studies of the insects. This legacy of Pomeranian zoology is unique and important considering the destruction of the painter’s artistic oeuvre, but also development of science in his time. Niedenthal’s depictions of animals, birds and insects are the first such complete compendium created in in the 17th Century Central Europe. The detailed pictures make it possible to identify species occurring in the area, representing the first records of them in Pomerania.