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The Shell

**Fig. 1.** Impression of the page with the Oxhorn clam in the _Illustrated Catalogue of Marine Creatures_ - Facsimiles by [Gu Gong Beijing](https://www.dpm.org.cn/periodical/238057.html) — **Fig. 1.** Impression of the page with the Oxhorn clam in the *Illustrated Catalogue of Marine Creatures* - Facsimiles by Gu Gong Beijing

The Seapeople brought this clam as a present for the Kangxi Emperor. Its sight gave the Emperor great joy.

This comes from the beginning of the text that accompanies the images of the ox horn clam in The Illustrated Catalogue of Marine Creatures (Haicuo tu 海錯圖) painted by Nie Huang in the late 17th century, one of the many painted albums of animals in the Qing imperial collections (Fig. 1). The shell does not look particularly special at first sight. Yet, early modern Chinese people thought that it resembles the horn of an ox: hence the name ox horn clams. The shell painted in the album was found on the shores of southern China (in Funing, now called Ningde in Fujian Province). It was then presented to the Kangxi Emperor (reign 1661-1722) as a gift, who appreciated it very much.