Murex haustellum belongs to an untitled series of 38 shells, all of which are presented in the same, simple fashion. By isolating the shells against a plain background, Wenceslaus Hollar draws the viewer’s attention to their intrinsic beauty, focusing on their distinctive silhouettes and textures. The absence of text distinguishes Hollar’s shell etchings from illustrative scientific prints of the time that provided the Latin name of each specimen, if not sometimes other relevant information. Although the murex haustellum is readily available today, it was a rarity in the seventeenth century. Brought to Europe via maritime trade, such shells were collected as exotic objects and scientific curiosities, and would be displayed among similar items in the compendium of knowledge known as a wunderkammer (room of wonder).