[In Process Citation]

Area of Science:

• Paleontology
• History of Science

Background:

• The 1663 discovery of a supposed unicorn skeleton near Quedlinburg has been historically attributed to Otto von Guericke.
• Otto von Guericke (1602-1686) was a German scholar and official, known for his work on physics and vacuum.
• Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) was a prominent German mathematician and philosopher.

Observation:

• Analysis of surviving reports indicates Johannes Meyer, an astronomer, authored the initial account of the unicorn find.
• Meyer's report and figure were translated and adapted by Guericke in "Experimenta nova" (1672) and later by Leibniz in "Protogaea" (published 1749).
• The claim that Guericke discovered and reconstructed the skeleton, first proposed by Othenio Abel in 1918, lacks primary source evidence.

Findings:

• The reconstruction and artistic representation of the unicorn skeleton were not performed by Guericke or Leibniz.
• Leibniz, in his "Protogaea," describes receiving a figure from Meyer and subsequently "correcting" and completing it with his engraver Nicholas Seeländer in 1716.
• A copy of Meyer's original figure was published by M. B. Valentini in 1704, predating Leibniz's "corrections."

Implications:

• This research clarifies the authorship and reconstruction process of the Quedlinburg unicorn skeleton, correcting historical misattributions.
• It highlights the importance of critically examining historical scientific accounts and attributions.
• The study underscores the collaborative and often complex nature of scientific illustration and publication in the 17th and 18th centuries.