# Albertus Seba artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/albertus-seba/
Profile generated: 2026-08-24T22:14:05.499Z
Quality: medium confidence, thin sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: Dutch
- Common media: Illustrated natural-history publications

## Portrait

![Albertus Seba](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Albertus_Seba_by_Jacobus_Houbraken_after_Jan_Maurits_Quinkhard.jpg/1280px-Albertus_Seba_by_Jacobus_Houbraken_after_Jan_Maurits_Quinkhard.jpg)
Didier Descouens · Public domain
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Albertus_Seba_by_Jacobus_Houbraken_after_Jan_Maurits_Quinkhard.jpg

## About Albertus Seba

Albertus Seba (1665–1736) was a Dutch pharmacist, zoologist, author, and collector whose name is closely tied to early modern natural history. He assembled a major cabinet of curiosities in the Netherlands, sold one collection to Peter the Great in 1717, and later formed another collection. His specimens provided the foundation for a lavishly illustrated, four-volume Thesaurus. Seba's historical identity therefore lies at the intersection of collecting, scientific publishing, and image production rather than a conventional studio-art career. His natural-history work is also described as influencing Linnaeus's early approach to taxonomy. Collectors may encounter Seba's name on complete or partial publications, illustrated natural-history plates, and objects catalogued through their connection to the Thesaurus. Attribution requires care: the collected sources establish Seba's authorship and collecting role but do not identify the makers or production history of every individual image associated with him.

## Common works and media

The best-supported category in the collected sources is material connected with Seba's illustrated four-volume Thesaurus of natural-history specimens. Appraisal contexts may therefore include complete or partial publications and individual natural-history plates identified with that work. The source pack does not establish detailed edition histories, printing processes, or the maker of each illustration. Those particulars should be verified from the object, its bibliographic description, and reliable catalogue information before assigning authorship or selecting comparable sales.

## Market and appraisal context

Material associated with Albertus Seba should be appraised through its specific publication and object history, not through his name alone. Useful checks include the stated title, volume and plate context, date, edition, completeness, condition, provenance, and attribution. A complete publication, a detached illustrated plate, and a later impression are different objects and should not be compared without bibliographic verification. Seba is documented as the author and collector behind the Thesaurus, but that does not establish that he personally drew, engraved, printed, or colored every image. Public auction records can provide comparable evidence when the objects share meaningful edition, format, condition, and attribution characteristics; this source pack does not support a price trend or prediction.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine public artist-identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. Each object still requires independent verification of attribution, edition, condition, provenance, and publication context.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q523866
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albertus_Seba
- Wikipedia: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albertus_Seba
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nb2001087386
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/albertus-seba-2626
- Appraisily: https://appraisily.com/artist/albertus-seba/