THE naturalist Sir David Attenborough has been trawling through the Queen’s collection of paintings to put together an exhibition of some of the first wildlife studies.

The paintings are from the Age of Discovery when naturalists sailed the world to explore newly discovered lands and unearthed tens of thousands of species of animals and plants.

Many are the first-known images of newly discovered plants and animals and were the means by which previously unknown species were introduced to the public in Britain and Europe.

They come from an era when wildlife was first studied in detail and include species, such as the passenger pigeon, that have become extinct.

Most of the animals and plants depicted are painted from the artists’ observations but there are occasional flights of fancy, such as a dragon drawn by Leonardo da Vinci.

One of the pictures — that of a giant spider feasting on a hummingbird and painted by Maria Merian in about 1705 — helped to create the misconception that tarantulas prey on hummingbirds.

Despite the occasional misunderstanding, the paintings are a vivid and precise record of the plants and creatures recorded between the late 15th to the early 18th centuries.

Sir David, a BBC wildlife presenter and author, was asked for his assistance by curators from the Royal Collection.

Among the 90 pictures to be displayed in the Palace of Holyroodhouse next year, and at Buckingham Palace in 2008, are 18 by Leonardo da Vinci.

The rest of the exhibition includes paintings by Maria Merian, Mark Catesby and Alexander Marshal — and examples from a collection commissioned by Cassiano dal Pozzo, a leading 17th-century Italian scientist.

Dr Susan Owens, a senior curator at the Royal Collection, said: “All the artists were also scientists. They were the first artists to go out and record in detail what they saw.

“It was a time when travel was opening up and people could discover these extraordinary plants and animals. What they saw must at times have seemed weird and wonderful and almost nightmarish.”

Mark Catesby (1682-1749) was an English naturalist who made the first attempt to survey the flora and fauna of North America. Alexander Marshal (c 1620-82) specialised in painting flowers and spent most of his adult life depicting the plants found in English gardens at a time when tulips, hyacinths and narcissi were recent newcomers.

Maria Merian (1647-1717) was born in Germany and was fascinated by insects and flowers. At the age of 52 she made an expedition to Surinam, a Dutch colony, to discover new species.

Sir David, in his introduction to a book accompanying the exhibition, said that the artists were part of a long history of wildlife painting. “There is a common denominator that links all these artists. It is the profound joy felt by all who observe the natural world with a sustained and devoted intensity.”

The exhibition and the book are both called Amazing Rare Things. The exhibition opens on March 2, 2007, when the book, written by Sir David and art experts from the Royal Collection, will be published.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Times Christmas appeal: Letter from the Editor
• Conferences — what a waste of money
• Schools supremo learns a painful lesson