De aankoop van de menagerie van Cornelis van Aken door het Amsterdamse genootschap ‘Natura Artis Magistra’

Abstract

The Amsterdam Society 'Natura Artis Magistra' and their acquisition of the menagerie owned by Cornelis van Aken The Amsterdam Society 'Natura Artis Magistra' was established in 1838 by Amsterdam citizens among whom the bookseller Frederik Westerman (1807-1890) was the driving force. The two main aims of the society were to set up a zoo and to study all objects from nature. The acquisition of the animals for the zoo is the subject of this article. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century exotic animals were exhibited at country fairs. One of Europe's largest collection of such exotic animals was owned by the Dutchman Cornelis van Aken. He travelled all over Europe to show them, but as he heard from the Society's plan for a zoo, he immediately offered his animals for sale. Negotiations between the Society and Van Aken took almost a year, but finally at the end of November 1839 the animals arrived in Amsterdam. Among them were an elephant, lions, tigers, monkeys, all kinds of birds, snakes etcetera, in total over a hundred animals. Van Aken was appointed as 'custos'. This appeared to be a failure, as he started drinking and did not look after the animals properly. In spite of all efforts of his wife together with the Society he had to be sacked only one and a half year later. Cornelis van Aken died in 1844, his animals were the foundation for the still existing Amsterdam Zoo 'Artis'.