An accurate drawing of a rhinoceros seen in The Netherlands in 1758 made by the Dutch scholar Johannes Le Franq van Berkheij was listed in his catalogue of 1784 (source 7901). Berkheij’s iconographic collection was sold to Madrid in 1785. There is no drawing with this inscription now in the collection, only another which was probably copied from one of the broadsheets, unsigned and undated (source 7902). The drawing remains unknown.
Source 7901. Franq van Berkhey – drawing with date 1758
* Johannes Le Franq van Berkhey (1729–1812)
Berkhey, J. Le Franq van 1784. Eerste catalogus van de uitgebreide systhematische natuurkundige verzameling van teekeningen, prenten en afgezette afbeeldingen. Amsterdam
[p. 48] 706. 1. Rhinoceros unicornis Linn. 1. Rhinoceros accurate & ad vivum delineavit. J. le Fr. v. Berkhey, Ao. 1758. De Rhinoster die Ao. 1758 in dit land te zien is geweest, accuraat naar ‘t leven getekend, door J. le Fr. v. Berkhey.
No. 706. 1. The Rhinoster that was seen in this country in 1758, accurately drawn from life by J. le Fr. v. Berkhey.
This catalogue of 1784 listed 8 drawings and engravings of rhinoceros. None of these are now in Madrid (see no. 7902) – verified in correspondence in 2025.
Referred:
- Rookmaaker 1973: 56
- Rookmaaker, L.C. 1998. The rhinoceros in captivity, p. 66
Source 7902. Franq van Berkhey – collection in Madrid
Johannes Le Franq van Berkhey assembled a large Iconographia (iconographic collection) in Leiden, The Netherlands. Due to financial misfortune he had to sell this in 1785, when it was bought by representatives of the monarchs of Spain. A large part of the zoological drawings of this collection is still preserved in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Madrid.
es.wikipedia.org
About the sale to Madrid:
Pieters, F.F.J.M. 2025. The famous ‘paper museum’ with illustrations of zoological and botanical species collected by Johannes le Francq van Berkhey (1729–1812), with emphasis on the drawings of insects for volume 4 of Albertus Seba’s Locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri. Library and Information History 41 (3): 143–156.
https://rhinoresourcecenter.com/library/images/rhinoceros-in-collection-van-berkhey/
The collection in Madrid does not contain the drawing of 1758 (source 7901), but has one Clara drawing, also said to be from the collection of Berkhey.
aleph.csic.es
* The artist quoted in their new catalogue is unlikely.
Documento iconográfico sobre Rinocerontes [Material gráfico no proyectable]
Autor :Stefano della Bella (1616–1664).
Archivo del Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales
Fondo Especial. Colecciones Iconográficas Colección Van Berkheij
Signatura ACN100D/003/03271
