Albertus Seba, Locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri accurata descriptio, et inconibus artificiosissimis expressio, per universam physices historiam,

This illustration shows a reticulated python, native to South-East Asia. It was owned by Albertus Seba, a Dutch apothecary and collector, who took a keen interest in the potential of snakes for life-saving cures. Based in Amsterdam, Seba supplied the port’s ships with medicines, which he often traded for exotic natural specimens. In 1731, he commissioned artists to draw every item in his collection including this snake, a project that took over 30 years to complete. Shown here: vol. 2, plate CIIII