# The Shell (Conus marmoreus)

- By: Rembrandt van Rijn (Leiden, 1606–1669)
- Date: 1650
- Medium: paper
- Classification: print
- Dimensions: height 97 mm x width 129 mm
- Museum: [Rijksmuseum](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/object/RP-P-OB-241--096ced000114a70f0a918169503aadcc)
- Rights: [Public Domain Mark](http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/)
- Picture: https://iiif.micr.io/vCLZb/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Little Ones profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Collecting exotic shells was a popular hobby in the 17th century, and it excited Rembrandt’s interest too. He had a small natural history collection of his own, including this marbled cone shell; it is similar in shape to the conus cervus, a ‘deer’ cone. He rendered the form and markings of the shell with meticulous care on the copperplate. Note that the shell appears in mirror image.