The Naturalist Who Brought Goldfish to Holland: Remembering Job Baster

April 1, 1711

On this day, Job Baster was born.

This remarkable Dutch naturalist was among the first in his country to examine the minute details of flora and fauna through the revealing lens of a microscope. His careful observations were dutifully recorded in a scholarly tome, and his translation of Philip Miller's horticultural works is a testament to his dedication to botanical knowledge.

Fortune smiled upon Baster in 1758 when he acquired a splendid property adorned with stately trees and two generous ponds. He christened this Eden-like retreat "Zonnehof"—Sunshine Farms. Finding himself the proprietor of such aquatic bounty, Baster, ever the curious scientist, embarked on an adventure in goldfish husbandry.

Can you imagine the excitement that must have rippled through his scientific mind? This versatile scholar, corresponding with the foremost biologists of his era, arranged for his first dozen goldfish to be delivered from a connection in England.

Alas! The initial shipment met a most unfortunate end, with every glittering specimen perishing. Undeterred by this setback, as any true gardener would be, Baster persevered. The following year brought eighteen more fish to his ponds. Though two succumbed, the remaining sixteen thrived under his attentive care.

Such was his success that thirteen years hence, Baster's collection had multiplied to over one thousand goldfish! Upon his departure from this mortal realm, estate records revealed that his entire golden hoard had been sold, generating the princely sum of seven hundred guilders—no trifling amount in those days. Thus stands the legacy of Job Baster, the gentleman who introduced the goldfish to Dutch waters and gardens.

Baster's artistic talents matched his scientific acumen. He created exquisite drawings of his goldfish, each lovingly embellished with hand-applied color. Today, they possess an almost supernatural vibrancy—so lifelike that one half expects the fish to swim off the page, their brilliance undimmed by the passage of centuries.

His collecting passions extended beyond the aquatic realm to an impressive assembly of shells. During this period, a curious fashion swept through Europe—the adornment of furniture with shells. Baster embraced this trend with characteristic enthusiasm, bedecking a buffet with specimens of European and Tropical origin.

The lower portion of this extraordinary piece displays the coats of arms of both Baster himself (depicted by a leaping greyhound) and his wife Jacoba Vink (represented by a climbing lion)—crafted entirely from shells! Upon viewing this remarkable creation at the Royal Zeeland Society of Sciences, one visitor wryly observed, "One can almost hear Baster's wife, who donated the piece to the museum after his death, saying, 'Job, will you do something with all those shells!'"

A floating snail bears Baster's name in recognition of his contributions to the study of mollusks, and the Dutch Malacological Association honors him through its scientific journal, Basteria—a fitting tribute to this versatile explorer of nature's wonders.