Amazing Rare Things
The Art of Natural History in the Age of Discovery

The works in this exhibition have been selected, in collaboration with Sir David Attenborough, from six remarkable and diverse groups of natural history drawings and watercolours in the Royal Collection. They date from the late fifteenth century to the early eighteenth century, a period when European knowledge of the world’s flora and fauna was transformed by voyages of discovery to Africa, Asia and the Americas. Through painstaking examination and description, these artists (and one collector) hoped to comprehend the natural riches of an ever-expanding world.
There is a common denominator that links all these artists – the profound joy that all feel who observe the natural world with a sustained and devoted intensity.
Sir David Attenborough
Exhibition highlights
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), wood anemone (Anemone nemorosa) and sun spurge (Euphorbia helioscopia)
Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717)
Branch of Banana with Bullseye Moth
Mark Catesby (1682-1749)
Great hogfish
Unknown Person
African civet
Map & directions
By train
The nearest train stations are London Victoria (10 minute walk) or London Charing Cross (20 minute walk).
Visit National Rail Enquiries for times and fares.
By underground
The nearest tube stations are Victoria, Green Park, St. James's Park and Hyde Park Corner (all approximately 10 minutes walk).
For further information visit the Transport for London website.
By coach / bus
Bus numbers 11, 211, C1 and C10 stop on Buckingham Palace Road. Victoria Coach Station is a 10-minute walk from the Palace.
For further information visit the Transport for London website.