Was looking at a piece of 15th century art, and realised that it contained many accurately-drawn species of bird, fish and reptile that I didn’t recognise. Which makes me wonder, which animal species were accurately depicted in art long before they became known to science?
mollwollfumble said:
Was looking at a piece of 15th century art, and realised that it contained many accurately-drawn species of bird, fish and reptile that I didn’t recognise. Which makes me wonder, which animal species were accurately depicted in art long before they became known to science?
wooly mammoth
mollwollfumble said:
Was looking at a piece of 15th century art, and realised that it contained many accurately-drawn species of bird, fish and reptile that I didn’t recognise. Which makes me wonder, which animal species were accurately depicted in art long before they became known to science?
Probably a lot. Simply because artists travelled overseas and sketched/painted before science at home received specimens to describe.
mollwollfumble said:
Was looking at a piece of 15th century art, and realised that it contained many accurately-drawn species of bird, fish and reptile that I didn’t recognise. Which makes me wonder, which animal species were accurately depicted in art long before they became known to science?
platypus
Wouldn’t some of the botanists/biologists back in the days before photography have been artists as well, I’m sure I’ve seen intricately detailed drawings of newly discovered (for them) plants and animals. They could have taken artists along with them I suppose to draw what they couldn’t
Cymek said:
Wouldn’t some of the botanists/biologists back in the days before photography have been artists as well, I’m sure I’ve seen intricately detailed drawings of newly discovered (for them) plants and animals. They could have taken artists along with them I suppose to draw what they couldn’t
Yes and yes.
mollwollfumble said:
Was looking at a piece of 15th century art, and realised that it contained many accurately-drawn species of bird, fish and reptile that I didn’t recognise. Which makes me wonder, which animal species were accurately depicted in art long before they became known to science?
The painting I had in mind was by Hieronymus Bosch, dated 1490-1510. “The garden of Earthly Delights”. This is a tryptic. I count roughly 200 animals in the central panel, of not quite 100 different species. Being Hieronymus Bosch, some of the animals are somewhat fantastical, such as mermaids and angels. Some fantastical organisms are immediately recognisable, such as the stag beetle (Lucanidae), despite its antlers, turtle-like back and eight legs.
mollwollfumble said:
mollwollfumble said:
Was looking at a piece of 15th century art, and realised that it contained many accurately-drawn species of bird, fish and reptile that I didn’t recognise. Which makes me wonder, which animal species were accurately depicted in art long before they became known to science?
The painting I had in mind was by Hieronymus Bosch, dated 1490-1510. “The garden of Earthly Delights”. This is a tryptic. I count roughly 200 animals in the central panel, of not quite 100 different species. Being Hieronymus Bosch, some of the animals are somewhat fantastical, such as mermaids and angels. Some fantastical organisms are immediately recognisable, such as the stag beetle (Lucanidae), despite its antlers, turtle-like back and eight legs.
If this crashes on opening, click “reload”. What are the animal species you can see in this?
Man, that bloke’s got some issues.
He’s also got a unicorn in there.
That’s a nice big version of that painting moll, ta.
But sorry, I’m not going to count the aminal species :)
Peak Warming Man said:
snigger
Man, that bloke’s got some issues.
Peak Warming Man said:
Man, that bloke’s got some issues. He’s also got a unicorn in there.
Several unicorns, of different species.
The unicorn was of course based on “travellers tales”. What happens is that when travellers to strange lands returned home they’re write up their accounts in language with no thought as to how this writing would be translated into images by artists. Results were in some cases very amusing, such as the “stage beetle “ I mentioned above.
As for issues, for sure, he has to be the founder of the surrealist movement, 480 years before it began. Even 500 years later in this blase age, his depictions of hell can still be be quite unsettling.
Many creatures stuffed were brought back by sailers and sold in little curio shops near the docks that gentlemen philosophers would frequent to purchase curios for their collections which in turn were visited by artists and society. Sometimes the sailers would make up animals by stitching other animals togetheR.
factoid, Shell of Shell Petrolium started off as a curio shop in the docks selling shells from all over the world.
http://www.shell.com/global/aboutshell/who-we-are/our-history/the-beginnings.html
Michael V said:
http://www.shell.com/global/aboutshell/who-we-are/our-history/the-beginnings.html
Did you doubt me?
AwesomeO said:
Always check Curve factoids. That’s given. It’s a law written in stone.
Michael V said:http://www.shell.com/global/aboutshell/who-we-are/our-history/the-beginnings.html
Did you doubt me?
;)
Michael V said:
AwesomeO said:Always check Curve factoids. That’s given. It’s a law written in stone.
Michael V said:http://www.shell.com/global/aboutshell/who-we-are/our-history/the-beginnings.html
Did you doubt me?
;)
That page had a picture of the Murex, which is a…?
A brilliant read which is not at all boring, deals a lot in history and geopolitics is The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power by Daniel Yergin. Also has the bloke in it who purchased the worlds first second hand car.
Bulk oil tanker. The first of them. 1892.
Michael V said:
Bulk oil tanker. The first of them. 1892.
Murex is also a sea animal that makes a decorative shell.
AwesomeO said:
Ha! Thanks for that info.
Michael V said:
Bulk oil tanker. The first of them. 1892.
Murex is also a sea animal that makes a decorative shell.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolinus_brandaris
Going out on a limb from memory here but isn’t the murex the sea snail from which the rich purple dye of Christiandom was extracted?
not so much christendom but royal purple for the roman elite, i think, and the phoenicians.
ChrispenEvan said:
not so much christendom but royal purple for the roman elite, i think, and the phoenicians.
Yes but the purple was also used to symbolise Christ’s passion or something along those lines.
Unicorns minus any magic ability of course could quite easily have been a real animal
Cymek said:
Unicorns minus any magic ability of course could quite easily have been a real animal
I’m more inclined to seek evidence for Truffula Trees and The Lorax……
Cymek said:
Unicorns minus any magic ability of course could quite easily have been a real animal
Indeed, i can see a genetic oddity that got included in a kings collection and news of it spread and became corrupted. Not unusual to have unicorn goats.
Here’s another interesting ancient artwork depicting animal species. In this case those inhabiting a swamp in Egypt circa 1400-1350 BC.
Tomb-of-Menna
To demonstrate how stories get twisted when Cook was visiting the Hawaiian Islands news of him and his men spread to islands that they had not visited, it was stories of beings who amongst other things had their heads back to front. This was from observation from a safe distance of them rowing which they did backwards.
AwesomeO said:
To demonstrate how stories get twisted when Cook was visiting the Hawaiian Islands news of him and his men spread to islands that they had not visited, it was stories of beings who amongst other things had their heads back to front. This was from observation from a safe distance of them rowing which they did backwards.
“Heads on backwards” is also a fair description of a group of drunken englishmen as it happens.
AwesomeO said:
Cymek said:
Unicorns minus any magic ability of course could quite easily have been a real animal
Indeed, i can see a genetic oddity that got included in a kings collection and news of it spread and became corrupted. Not unusual to have unicorn goats.
Plus if they were coverted for their horns like rhinos are today they few in existence could have become extinct
mollwollfumble said:
Here’s another interesting ancient artwork depicting animal species. In this case those inhabiting a swamp in Egypt circa 1400-1350 BC.
Tomb-of-Menna
Aha, the ducks with dark heads, spotted bodies and striped wings are these:
But I still don’t have a species.
Arts said:
mollwollfumble said:
Was looking at a piece of 15th century art, and realised that it contained many accurately-drawn species of bird, fish and reptile that I didn’t recognise. Which makes me wonder, which animal species were accurately depicted in art long before they became known to science?
wooly mammoth … platypus
From prehistoric cave paintings:
Bull, Horse, Reindeer, Leopard, White rhino, Bison, Bear, Moose, Roe deer, Mammoth, Wild boar, Giraffe, Elk or Red Deer.
From Australian cave paintings.
Kangaroo, Long-necked turtle, Emu, Fish, Sole.
From ancient Greek & Roman art.
Python, Red Deer, Dog = Whippet, Lion, Giraffe, Donkey, Duck, Horse, Bull, Lion, Hippo, Tiger, Boar, Elk, Leopard, Pigeon, Crow, Goose, Heron, Crab (Cancer sp.).
Plenty of animals in ancient Egyptian art.
Bubblecar said:
Plenty of animals in ancient Egyptian art.
Cats.
Bubblecar said:
Plenty of animals in ancient Egyptian art.
Especially the art of mummification/ Some 70 million mummified animals and parts thereof have been found in the ancient temple complexes.
hahaha
Peak Warming Man said:
Bubblecar said:
Plenty of animals in ancient Egyptian art.
Cats.
And lions, cattle, sheep, goats, fish, all kinds of birds. Crocodiles, hippos, monkeys, snakes, dogs, jackals, beetles, you name it.
Bubblecar said:
Peak Warming Man said:
Bubblecar said:
Plenty of animals in ancient Egyptian art.
Cats.
And lions, cattle, sheep, goats, fish, all kinds of birds. Crocodiles, hippos, monkeys, snakes, dogs, jackals, beetles, you name it.
There was green alligators and long-necked geese,
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees,
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born,
The loveliest of all was the Unicorn.
kii said:
Bubblecar said:
Peak Warming Man said:Cats.
And lions, cattle, sheep, goats, fish, all kinds of birds. Crocodiles, hippos, monkeys, snakes, dogs, jackals, beetles, you name it.
There was green alligators and long-necked geese,
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees,
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born,
The loveliest of all was the Unicorn.
You could get a job at the Ark Encounter
Skeptic Pete said:
kii said:
Bubblecar said:And lions, cattle, sheep, goats, fish, all kinds of birds. Crocodiles, hippos, monkeys, snakes, dogs, jackals, beetles, you name it.
There was green alligators and long-necked geese,
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees,
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born,
The loveliest of all was the Unicorn.
You could get a job at the Ark Encounter
No. Thanks.
Some days at the bookstore it feels like I’m the only Atheist in the village.
kii said:
Bubblecar said:
Peak Warming Man said:Cats.
And lions, cattle, sheep, goats, fish, all kinds of birds. Crocodiles, hippos, monkeys, snakes, dogs, jackals, beetles, you name it.
There was green alligators and long-necked geese,
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees,
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born,
The loveliest of all was the Unicorn.
I didn’t even remember that I knew that, kii, but I sang it as I read it…
buffy said:
Ha! Me, too.
kii said:
Bubblecar said:And lions, cattle, sheep, goats, fish, all kinds of birds. Crocodiles, hippos, monkeys, snakes, dogs, jackals, beetles, you name it.
There was green alligators and long-necked geese,
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees,
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born,
The loveliest of all was the Unicorn.
I didn’t even remember that I knew that, kii, but I sang it as I read it…
:)
buffy said:
kii said:
Bubblecar said:And lions, cattle, sheep, goats, fish, all kinds of birds. Crocodiles, hippos, monkeys, snakes, dogs, jackals, beetles, you name it.
There was green alligators and long-necked geese,
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees,
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born,
The loveliest of all was the Unicorn.
I didn’t even remember that I knew that, kii, but I sang it as I read it…
Same here.
I have no idea when or where I know it from.
I went looking…here is the Irish Rovers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4bc9UwZsYs
It’s actually quite a sad song.
buffy said:
I didn’t even remember that I knew that, kii, but I sang it as I read it…
never heard of it before.
party_pants said:
Whipper snapper!
buffy said:I didn’t even remember that I knew that, kii, but I sang it as I read it…
never heard of it before.
buffy said:
kii said:
Bubblecar said:And lions, cattle, sheep, goats, fish, all kinds of birds. Crocodiles, hippos, monkeys, snakes, dogs, jackals, beetles, you name it.
There was green alligators and long-necked geese,
Some humpty-backed camels and some chimpanzees,
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you’re born,
The loveliest of all was the Unicorn.
I didn’t even remember that I knew that, kii, but I sang it as I read it…
Was the first thing that popped up in my brane when I read Mr Car’s comment.
“Science” in the modern sense was not strongly distinct from art until the late renaissance.
dv said:
“Science” in the modern sense was not strongly distinct from art until the late renaissance.
the artists were studying anatomy for the purpose of art
in particular horses…and….Leonardo Da Vinci….as well
Bubblecar said:
Peak Warming Man said:
Bubblecar said:
Plenty of animals in ancient Egyptian art.
Cats.
And lions, cattle, sheep, goats, fish, all kinds of birds. Crocodiles, hippos, monkeys, snakes, dogs, jackals, beetles, you name it.
Thanks Bubblecar, duly noted, and mice.
> “Science” in the modern sense was not strongly distinct from art until the late renaissance.
Yes. In biology, I date it from the invention of the magnifying glass.
mollwollfumble said:
Bubblecar said:
Peak Warming Man said:Cats.
And lions, cattle, sheep, goats, fish, all kinds of birds. Crocodiles, hippos, monkeys, snakes, dogs, jackals, beetles, you name it.
Thanks Bubblecar, duly noted, and mice.
> “Science” in the modern sense was not strongly distinct from art until the late renaissance.
Yes. In biology, I date it from the invention of the magnifying glass.
Try Carl Linnaeus
https://www.google.com.au/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GUEA_enAU550AU550&q=Linnaris&qscrl=1#q=Linnaeus
