Georg Wolfgang Knorr was born on December 30, 1705, in Nuremberg. Knorr was trained in the technique of engraving by J. L. Blank and achieved his first great success with his illustrations for Johannes Jacob Scheuzer's "Physica sacra" (1731). After becoming interested in the natural sciences through his early illustration work and through his own studies, he gained a wide base of knowledge in art history and the natural sciences. Though he did undertake several short trips away from his hometown, Knorr spent his whole life in Nuremberg, passing away on September 17, 1761. During his career, he published numerous engravings, some as single folios and some in books. Exemplary of his works are "Deliciae naturae selectae" (1766/67) and the "Vergnügen der Augen und des Gemüths," which was the sequel to the first volume which appeared in 1757 and was exceedingly popular in amateur circles. The title and content of these volumes exemplifies the contemporary aesthetization of zoology, especially in the area of colorful mussels.