18th Century Copper Engraving by Lister

Framed large black and white engraving of sea shells by Lister. This very rare copper engraving is from Martin Lister's work Historiae sive synopsis methodicae conchyliorum et tabulae anatomicarum. It was published in 1770 in Oxford by Clarendon Press. Lister's wife and daughter illustrated the prolific work. This is the second edition and is considered the most desireable amongst collectors due to the larger paper size and beautiful engravings. Lister was an English naturalist & physician. He originally published Historiae Conchyliorum between 1685 and 1692.

Martin Lister was baptized in Radclive, Buckinghamshire, and educated at St John's College, Cambridge (MA 1662); he then studied medicine at Montpellier from 1663 to 1666. While in France he became ‘an avid natural historian’ and physician, eventually becoming a court physician to Queen Anne in 1702.18 Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1670/71, Lister devoted himself to a variety of biological studies, including botany, fossils and shellfish.