The exhibition includes drawings from the seventeenth and eighteenth century. All the important artists of the botanic art are represented in this exhibition such as Sybilla Merian, Alida Withoos and George Ehret.
The collection is accumulated by Johannes le Franc van Berkhey (Leiden, 1729-1812). Van Berkhey was a man with many interests. He was doctor, writer, naturalist, artist and painter. He started his biggest passion, collecting, when he was still very young. As a student he worked at the botanical garden of the University of Leiden and made the illustrations for the catalogue of animal expert Albert Seba. Van Berkhey was an enlightened man convinced of the idea that mankind could enrich and improve. His collection of natural history was huge and contained over 7000 objects. The collection consisted among others of animals, insects, gemstones, minerals, shelves, botanic art, books and gravures.
Because of financial problems the collection was auctioned in Amsterdam in 1785. A big part of the collection was bought by Pedro Franco Davilla, director of the Royal Cabinet of Natural History in Spain.
