Sea Urchin Replica, Hand Cast Plaster Shell Sculpture

A Sea Urchin Replica Cast From the Skeleton

A sea urchin skeleton looks both ornate and plainly minimal, with rows of tiny bumps over a round dome. This sea urchin replica is cast in plaster from a real skeleton. It measures 5.25 in D x 2.75 in H. Studio White is a clean plaster white, and Fossil is a weathered stone tone.

Product Details

• Material: Hand cast plaster
• Finish: Studio White or Fossil
• Dimensions: 5.25 in D x 2.75 in H
• Weight: 2 lb
• Package dimensions: 8 in x 8 in x 8 in
• Production: Made to order in the USA, ready to ship in 2 to 3 weeks
• Note: Hand cast, so appearance may vary from piece to piece
• Product number: HP40600SW (Studio White), HP40600FOS (Fossil)

About the Urchin Skeleton

The maker describes sea urchins scattered across the shore. The skeleton is called a test, and its bumps once carried the movable spines.

Aristotle described the urchin's chewing apparatus, and later writers named it Aristotle's lantern. Collectors have admired the geometry of the test ever since.

A plaster sea urchin reads as a coastal shell sculpture on a bookshelf or a desk. The sea urchin skeleton is small enough to hold, so the detail repays a close look. This sea urchin replica pairs well with the starfish casts.

Bringing Nature Indoors

Bringing nature indoors is not new. Early botanists and naturalists collected samples from around the world and set out to catalog the natural world. A sea urchin replica follows in that line. Browse more casts in our Ocean Seashells Beach Nautical collection.

Made to Order

Each piece is cast to order in the USA. Production takes 2 to 3 weeks before it ships. Hand casting means color and surface vary slightly from piece to piece. Choose Studio White or Fossil at checkout.

Placement and Care

Set it on a shelf, console or mantel, on a flat dry surface. Plaster is heavy for its size. Dust it with a soft dry brush and keep it indoors.

About Albertus Seba

Albertus Seba was an Amsterdam apothecary in the 18th century. He collected natural specimens well beyond what his trade required. After his death, his heirs auctioned the collection to finish publishing his four-volume catalogue. Much of it now sits in natural history museums.

His four volumes recorded the animals and shells he had gathered, drawn and described one by one.

For More Reading from the Web

• Albertus Seba, George Perry and the naturalists who catalogued shells, plants and animals from around the world: Natural Curiosities - The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Meet the American shell collectors of the 1800s, from Thomas Say to Edgar Allan Poe's borrowed textbook: The Conchologists: Searching for Seashells in 19th Century America - Biodiversity Heritage Library