This is but one of several similar ancient Roman mosaics. It has been suggested that the signs were not to warn trespassers about a guard dog, but rather to warn visitors to not accidentally step on the wee house dog! (These were probably small Italian Greyhounds.) Here’s another cute example:…
For #WorldHoneybeeDay here is another piece from the Majolica Mania exhibition at the Walters Art Museum:
Happy #WorldOrangutanDay! There are currently three living species of Orangutan recognized in the genus Pongo, all of which are unfortunately critically endangered: the Bornean Orangutan (P. pygmaeus, with three subspecies), the Sumatran Orangutan (P. abelii), and the Tapanuli Orangutan (P tapanuliensis). Andy Warhol selected the orangutan as one of ten…
Small cast copper-alloy ornaments are made across West Africa within the arc of the great Niger River. Brass or bronze casting has powerful associations with the supernatural because, like ironworking, it is a highly specialized process that uses fire to transform a raw material into a form that is useful…
It’s #WorldLionDay! So, which medieval lion are you today? (I think I’m #8) Ok, but which medieval embroidered lion are you today? (#8 for me again) As noted on the lion’s page on the Medieval Bestiary website, the lion was the king of the beasts and thus was usually the…
Horseshoe crabs have been swimming in earth’s oceans for a long time…their fossil record goes back at least 480 million years! This card illustrates the Atlantic Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus), one of four still-living species and the only one native to the Americas.(Also, their common name is misleading — they…
Coins of Aegina depicted images of sea turtles on their coins when the island of Aegina was the supreme sea power among the Greek city-states. The sea turtle, seen here on the front (obverse) of this coin, represented its naval strength and resiliency. After its defeat by Athens in 458…
