The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700
Ferrante Imperato (1525 or 1550 - 1615 or 1625)
Humanist scholar, naturalist, and collector of curiosities Authority - early modernCollector (major)
Relevant locations: Lived at or near Naples, Campania
References in Documents:
sertolaraby
Taken out of the
stomach of a Bull in
smooth, and of the colour
of Oriental Bezoar. Figur'd
just
like a Bowl. Somewhat above two inches thick, and
three,
over. a)
a)
If you scrape a little of the Crust off, and pour
spirit of
Nitre upon it, it makes a conspicuous
bullition, as it doth
upon Bezoar. (b)
b)
Author's
Discourse of
the
Luctati
on arising
from the
mixture of
Bodies
Purpura
Aculeis plicatis longissimis. By
Aculeis plicatis longissimis
Echinata.Olearius gives a good Figure, (
a)
a)
fig. 1
the Description, with the Title of
Purpura muricata sive
Murex Rostratus parvus. I will add my own a little fuller.
Murex Rostratus parvus
The main Body is not much bigger than a good big
Nutmeg. But hath a Horn no less than two inches and
½ long, near the Mouth ¼ of an inch over, and sharp-pointed.
Almost a Pipe, but a little open underneath by the length.
Along the right Lip and the
Turbanit self, in three Rows,
stand several long sharp plated or gutter'd Spikes triangu
larly. But on the
Turbanthey a little anticipate each other.
As also do the Plates of the several Rounds. The right Lip
is in some sort toothed, the left turned outward.
Scarabæus
Rhinoceros.
See the Figure and Description hereof in
only one Horn upon the Nose standing almost upright,
only bended a little backward, as in the Rhinoceros; whence
its Name.
Cervus Volans. Described by
and others. He hath his Name fromMoufet , Imperati
Stag:
but yet moveable. His Head is very big and broad; ratably,
far bigger than in any other known
Beetle, much exceeding
the bigness even of the fore-Section. Under his fore-Feet,
he hath
Tuftsof short brown Hair. His Wings are
doubled up inward and towards the Head, as in the
Great
Bull-Chafer. From the Tips of his Horns (which are about
Bull-Chafer
an inch long) to the end of his Tail, above three inches in
length.
Spangle- (. Described in
a) a)
by the Name of Opuntia marina. By b) with the Name of Serotlara. It consisteth
wholly of Leaves, joyned edge to edge, as b)
in the
Indian-Fig;
Somewhat round, and scallop'd, and not
Spangle. The inward part of
the
Leaves is fibrous, and by small woody Threds are
tacked
together. But, as in Coralline, covered all over with a white
Crust; which, in like manner, makes a
strong Effervescence
with Acid liquors.
Fucus capillaris tincto
rius, s. Roccella. Figur'd
rius, s. Roccella
inImperatus ; (
a)
a)
in
b)
b)
it admit an exact one, now dry. 'Tis three inches and ½
high, and five or six about. The Root, in compass, two
inches, one in height, divided into a great number of small
capillary Branches or Sprigs, thick set, as in a
Broomor
Beard, very brittle, and of a faded
Purple. It grows in the
making of
Tincturesboth for
Paintingand
Deying.
Fucus verrucosusImpe
rati .(
rati
c)
c)
Knobs all along the Branches, as well as on the top.
Bauhino. Poro Cervino,
Imperato
Ovum Anguinum. From the
roundness, and form of
SnakesTailes pointing upward, and
towards the middle of the Stone. This also is an
Echinites,
and by
Histrix Marinus petrisica
tus. Agricolamakes it a sort of
tus. Agricola
Brontias. It most resembles
that sort of
Button-Fish, with several Orders of great Knobs
or Prickle-Bases, divided by lesser; described in the First
Part of this Catalogue.
Bucardia. So call'd from its
figure. Described and figur'd by
others, and out of them by
ridge along the middle, into two halfs. Each of them
having a prominent Knob, a little winding, somewhat
like a Navle: so that it may not be improperly called
Con
chites umbilicatus. Figur'd by
chites umbilicatus
Hysterapetra.
Conchites miscellaneus. Composed of petrify'd shells, both of
the Turbina
ted, and the Bivalvous kinds, beded in a
kind of gritty
Lime-Stone. In
Calceolarius's
Musæum (a)
a)
p. 317
this, in the form of a Choping-Knife, but without a Name.
Another in b)
b)
c. 25
MusæumOstracomorphos Lapis. Not
properly, Lapis, as being part of a Rock: nor, by the former
word,
sufficiently expressing the mixture of shells therein.
Alcyonium.
Corallium geniculatum. Pseudocorallium fungosum Ambrosini. (a) a)
Mus. MetallMadrepora ramosa Imperati. (b)
By which Name
'Tis striated without, and radiated within,
almost as in the
precedent. And is also ringed or knoted
without, after b)
Cap. 4
the manner of Canes, or
rather the upright Equisetum,
and near
of the same thickness.
kind a kin to this, yet
distinct; not only knoted, but joynted,
and by him therefore
called CORALO Articulato, in which
of another.
an inch in
Diametre, two and ½ long, solid, heavy and
white.
Streaked by the length. The two ends a little
thicker, as of
Bones at the Joynts: and rising up from the
Rim to the Centre
into a little knob; and this it doth at
both ends: whereas in
that of
deeper, and one end hollow.
It was given by Sigr.
pounced and branched
Coral; and white. The Branches
being also as it were warted or knobed. (
a)
a)
tus
c. 4
nam'd. Described and figur'd by
cause it is perforated with round and radiated Holes re
sembling little Stars.
C. alb. oculatum
Officinarum.
Very well describ'd and figur'd by b)
b)
c. 4
c)
This sort is fistular, and hath
large round
holes in the sides of the Branches, sometimes near
¼ of an c)
c
inch over; somewhat like a Birds Eye.
Alcyonium . Imperatus
figures a Cluster of this under the ill Name of
Vermi
Marini Impetriti. (
Marini Impetriti
a)
a)
cap. 26
Tube,
with that of
Exuviæ Serpentis in Lapidem conversæ; which
is as bad. This is such an one, but more strait and smooth,
as thick as the upper end of a
Tobacco-Pipestalk. But with
a much greater bore.
Alcyonium. By b)
cap. 8
(b)
(whom c)
)
called Vermicchiara;
and Alcyonio Milesio; a much better Name. A
Cluster of
crooked Tubes, not thicker
than a Packthread; and also c)
Mus. c. 13.
n. 18, 19
wrinkled.
. ByAlcyonium
Tubularia purpurea. By
. A
Besler
Alcyonium Maris Rubri
Congeries of strait, and red Pipes, of a
Corallinesubstance,
about as thick as an
Oatenstraw, all standing parallel, as the
Cells in a
Honey-Comb:and divided into several Stories by
transverse Plates or Floors, at several distances from a ¼ to ½
an inch, or thereabout.
qu. Ingranate, or Ingraind. And there
fore by
the VERMEILLE: and the Matrix,
by
. The deepest, well com
pared by
Mulberry. Here
are
of several sizes.
colour'd Plates. Like that Marble described
by
with parallel black Lines.
Branches, also from the Mine: whith a kind of white
Rhombick
Spargrowing to it.
, (Ferranti Imperato &
Al
drovandus
drovandus
e)
e)
Met
Calcedony.
Ferrant. Imperato
March. Botryidea. It
con
sisteth of small Globules growing together in the form of a
young
Bunch of Grapes. There is one like this in
perato
StenomargaAgricolæ , i. e.
Saxi
Medulla:because found between the Commissures of
Medulla:
great Stones.
Agaricus Mineralis,Imperato ; from its likeness
to
Agarickin colour; but no further. For between the
Teeth it feels somewhat like fine sand or grit; and hath no
Tast. Nor is it sensible of
Acids. 'Tis sometimes used by
Chirurgionsfor the drying of
Ulcers.
Corallium fossile exalbidum; the first of the Lh. 92
from Shipston Sollers in
Gloc. Lh.
tusMadrepora, Lh. Sloan
Branches not above an Inch high (b)b) p. 51 Corallium album porosum maximum; this is of the tapering Part
towards the
Top, thicker than the little Finger, about five Inches long, hath
but one
Joint, the muricated Prickles are convex below, but Hollow
above, fit to receive
Nourishment from the Water, but whether from
the Corallina Opuntiades, one Leaf growing
out of another,
from the Coast of
full of small Holes upon
the Surface: It was broke from the Rock
that my Friend's Ship struck against. Don. D.
Madox.
ches
many lesser Branches
intermixed. Don. D. Baxter
Root of Red Coral, growing upon a Rock, but the Branches broken
off,
that there remains not above an Inch in Height of each Branch,
which is smooth,
solid and red, as are also the spreading Branches
of the Root.
Stems of above 20 Branches, some of which are four Inches
round.