Beauty in nature

Another beautiful object: a small parrot realized by the assembling shells tecnique.

For his furnishing accessories, Spallanzani, combines natural materials and high handicraft. Like the baby in the cradle, made ​​of saccharoid marble sprinkled with minute pyrite crystals.

Or like this child climbing a cliff adorned with quartz crystals.

Even the tables become for Spallanzani a set of stone samples. This one is made of Serravezza marble (Alpi Apuane, Toscana, Italy) in three colors: red, black and white. The scientist writes to his brother in 1781: "There will be several tables of Viano stones, that are very beautiful an then an oval coffee table rather great, I bought in Carrara, and that is really unique. It has three colors, black, white and red, large round spots"

Spallanzani made the college with zoological tables assembling the illustrated pages of four volumes of Historia Naturalis by Johannes Jonstonus, a Polish naturalist (1603-1675), in carved and gilded frames. The text itself was largely outdated in 18th century but Spallanzani grately admired the beauty of the illustrations and decided to use them as decorations for his room.

Carved coconut

Oddly shaped coconut

The Spallanzani herbarium comprises 445 sheets, each one containing one or more specimens. The dried plants are glued to cut paper sheets and attached to the red cardboard. The herbarium, probably, was not created directly by Spallanzani, but it is a collage of other works.

In the mammals showcase two male anatomical specimens, perhaps attributable to research on blood circulation, are shown.

For Linnaeus, the first order of Aves class is the sparrowhawk class. Among the various specimens represented, there is a peregrine falcon prepared
with the velvet cap in use in the practice of falconry.

In the Linnaean classification, the Amphibia class includes current classes of Reptiles, Amphibians and part of Fishes. These organisms were studied by Spallanzani on several occasions. He used many toads, marbled newts and green lizards, to carry out the research on fertilization and on the "spermatic worms".
These studies are confirmed by specimens with showy abdominal fissures, like these lizards preserved in vese.

In the Amphibia class appear grotesque selachii preparations including the unlikely "Cofano Concatenato", in part imaginatively relized. It is made combining the body of a natural fish with a plaster head that stretches in an impossible jaw adorned with shark teeth imitations.

The cabinets with fishes contain most of the specimens gathered by the scientist during his numerous journeys in the coasts on the Mediterranean sea.

In the Worm class are classified current Echinoderms, the Antozoi (Scleractinia and coral elegantly mounted on golden fulcrums). Cephalopods molluscs such as squid or octopus, were the subject of the research about functionality of their effective visual organs.

Specimen of artistically inlaid Nautilus.

The corals, like this wonderful specimen, were called by Spallanzani "piantanimali" ("animal-plants").

In Spallanzani collection, the Mineral Kingdom is represented by several mineralogical and lithological specimens, housed in four cabinets.
An entire wardrobe is dedicated to “volcanic productions”, mostly obsidians and pumices collected by Spallanzani himself during his journey in southern Italy and Eolian Islands (1788).

Obsidian sample

Several polished rocks of various kind, colour and provenance are present, like “figured stones”, such as "Paesina stone" that suggests the skyline of castles ruins and villages

And also like dendrites, manganese oxides. This one "draws" tree-like forms on limestone bedding planes.

Artistically carved stones are often present, like this heart made by polished amethyst quartz

or the precious antracite specimen worked on the lathe

or the little agate boxes.