Boxwood pelican, c. 1600
Stock Number: 440929 N
P.O.A.
Dimensions
12 cm long
Circa
1600
Description
Boxwood pelican of c. 1600. Historians of medical instrumentation are often asked about the dental pelican. It was the resemblance to the bird’s beak tip, which is remarkably well adapted to gripping, that gave the dental instrument its name. It is said that it was the Paduan Fabrice d’Acquapendente (15371619) who described the instrument’s resemblance to the curious beak of the eponymous bird (1542), but before him, it can be said that in his Chirurgie Magna (1363) Guy de Chauliac (1300-1368) described the instrument without naming it: ‘They may be pincers similar to those used to bind bars….’ (‘Ce peuvent estre des tenailles semblables à celles desquelles on relieves barrels …’).
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Dealer information
Van Leest Antiques
Van Leest Antiques
Van Leest Antiques, based in Utrecht in the Netherlands, specialises in antique scientific and medical instruments. Their collection covers mainly scientific and medical antique instruments: barometers, globes and planataria, nautical instruments, anatomical models, and pharmacy items. Toon Van Leest travels regularly in Europe and visits trade fairs, auctions, and antique dealers to collect stock and to find pieces to fulfil his clients' unusual requests.
As well as being an avid antique collector and dealer, Toon Van Leest is also a dentist. He believes that antiques are a stable investment, not reliant on trends or fashion, and have truly lasting value. Above all, he says, antiques are timeless and never lose their beauty.
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