Zoological albums as both subject and outcome of research. The role of animal representations in humanist natural history (1530–1630)

Julia Czapla’s monograph analyzes the role of animal illustrations in early modern natural history between 1530 and 1630. It explores how illustrations became not only research materials but also cognitive tools and a means of publishing findings on fauna. The study traces the evolution of animal depictions, from schematic illustrations inspired by ancient bestiaries, through realistic ad vivum drawings, to the systematic collection of zoological paper museums by naturalists and European rulers. Particular attention is given to the works of Conrad Gessner, Ulisses Aldrovandi, and Carolus Clusius, as well as the influence of their methodologies on the development of scientific illustration. The book demonstrates how the gradual shift from the symbolic interpretation of fauna to its biological description contributed to the formation of modern zoology.