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