Georg Marcgraf: Dutch Brazil

To mark the 400th birthday of Georg Margraf the Museum Boerhaave organised the exhibition "Georg Marcgraf: explorer in Dutch Brazil". Marcgraf (1610-1644) is nowadays seen as a significant representative of the 17th century's scientist who critically and systematically mapped the realm of nature. This is the first occasion in which his life and historical documents are exhibited.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is the famous Historia Naturalis Brasiliae. Richly illustrated with woodcuts of plants and animals, this work was long regarded the most significant scientific publication about Brazil. The herbarium addressed to Marcgraf is unique and now open to public in the Netherlands for the first time.

The realization of the exhibition is supported by the German Embassy in the Netherlands and Brazilian chair Rui Barbosa of Leiden University.