ANIMAL ART OF THE DAY for World Giraffe Day: The Dabous Giraffes
June 21st is World Giraffe Day! These two life-size giraffe petroglyphs are the largest known animal carvings in the world.
Tag: Animal Art of the Day
ANIMAL ART OF THE DAY for World Lizard Day #1: a trio of copper chameleon rings
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…
ANIMAL ART OF THE DAY for International Horseshoe Crab Day: “Pfeilschwankrebs”
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…
ANIMAL ART OF THE DAY for World Turtle Day #1: a sea turtle and a land tortoise on a pair of ancient Aeginan coins
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…
ANIMAL ART OF THE DAY The Threatened Swan
A swan fiercely defends its nest against a dog. In later centuries this scuffle was interpreted as a political allegory: the white swan was thought to symbolize the Dutch statesman Johan de Witt (assassinated in 1672) protecting the country from its enemies. This was the meaning attached to the painting…
ANIMAL ART OF THE DAY: a bronze octopus
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…
