Introduction The Cantino Planisphere is a Portuguese map of the known world produced in 1502 (Fig. 1). Created by an unidentified cartographer(s), the map’s name derives from Alberto Cantino, an Italian agent who obtained the map for the Duke of Ferrara.[1] While it is unknown whether the map was commissioned,…
For #AppreciateADragonDay, here are two versions of an illustration depicting Draco the dragon with the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor bear constellations. The first is from a medieval Carolingian illuminated manuscript known as the Leiden Aratea: Centuries later, Dutch humanist Hugo Grotius (1583-1645) acquired this manuscript and proceeded to publish…
Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is set to open a pair of new animal-themed exhibitions, both running from 30 September 2022 – 15 January 2023: 1 CLARA THE RHINOCEROS –Clara was unfamiliar, impressively large, and strange to behold – in short, she was different from any other animal. Clara the Rhinoceros tells…
To mark the quincentenary of the birth of the famed Italian natural historian Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522–1605), the Edward Worth Library and the Zoologial Museum of Trinity College Dublin have co-curated a web exhibition called “Reading the Book of Nature,” which juxtaposes images from the Worth Library’s set of Aldrovandi’s natural…
The Vatican Loggia’s “Raphael Rooms” have long been noted for their immense variety of flora and fauna depicted, including many exotic species. Believed to have executed primarily by Rafael’s associate Giovanni da Udine (1487-1564) between 1517-1519, this artistic menagerie is thought to be an artistic catalog of the real-life menagerie…
Historical significance: The octopus is identified by the Natural History Museum as one found in the Mediterranean, probably of an edible variety. Unfortunately, there are not enough identifying features to specify its species. The eight arms of the octopus are exactly as in life, with two rows of suckers along…
