(Born: 1656; Died: Scheenberg, Germany?, 3 March 1738) German mining expert.

Little is known of Richter other than he was the `Edelgestein Inspector' (precious stone inspector) at Schneeberg. He is a self-described 65-year old mining expert and inspector of precious stones by appointment to the Elector of Saxony.

Biographical references: DBA: I 1031, 208-209. • Fischer, Mineralogie in Sachsen, 1939: pp. 231-2. • WBI.

Miracvlosa Terra, 1732

1. German, 1732.
Saxoniæ Electo- | ralis | Miracvlosa | Terra, | oder | Des Weltberühmten Chur=Sachsen= | Landes bewunderns=würdige | Erde, | Wie dieselbe | Durch des Höchsten Gottes sonderbahre Gna= | de und verliehenen Bergwercks=Verstand, auch un= | ermüdeten Fleiss entdeckt worden | Von | Christian Richtern, | Ihro Königl. Majestät in Pohlen und Chur= | fürstl. Durchl. zu Sachsen gestallten Edelgestein Inspecto= | re, und E.E. Raths der Berg=Stadt Schnee= | berg Assessore. | [rule] | Schneeberg, auf Kosten des Aurtoris. | [rule] | Gedruckt bey Joh. Ernst Schulten, 1732.

4°: π² ):(⁴ )()(² A-Q⁴ R²; 74l.; no pagination or foliation, 61 text engravings. Page size: 196 x 156 mm.

Very rare. Published at the expense of the author and dedicated to the King August II of Poland, this work is in rare instances among the earliest mineralogical books to contain colored illustrations. The volume describes and illustrates mineral and rock specimens from the mining region of Saxony. In particular, Richter describes samples of "Wundererde," which is a colorful variety of jasper found near Zwickau and used for ornamental purposes. The 61 exquisite text engravings show in the form of cross-sections examples of this jasper and various ores with embedded minerals, which are carefully labeled with letters and referenced to the descriptive text. In some copies of this work the illustrations have been carefully hand-colored in watercolors and gouache to create beautiful depictions. Wagner (1902), who believes the illustrations to be a fantasy of the artist, records that the originals to the 61 illustrations were held in the collections of the Mineralogische-Geologische Museum in Dresden at the beginning of the 20th century.

Bibliographical references: Fischer, Mineralogie in Sachsen, 1939: pp. 107, 124 & 231-2. • Gatterer, Mineralogischen Literatur, 1798-9: 1, 157. • LKG: XVI 424. • Roller & Goodman, Catalogue, 1976: 2, 360 [hand-colored copy]. • Sinkankas, Gemology Bibliography, 1993: no. 5452. • USGS Library Catalog. • Wagner, Mineralogisch Durchforschung Sachsens, 1902: p. 91-2. • Ward & Carozzi, Geology Emerging, 1984: no. 1873.

.