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Washington, United States
loves: you win if you guessed "pets" and "museums". Also books, art history, travel, British punk, Korean kimchi, bindis, martinis, and other things TBD. I will always make it very clear if a post is sponsored in any way. Drop me a line at thepetmuseum AT gmail.com !

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

a useful medieval ferret

thanks wikimedia commons (PD)
This is an illustration of "Women hunting rabbits with a ferret" in the Queen Mary Psalter.  This illuminated work - all done by one artist - was produced in England in the 14th century and later given as a gift to Queen Mary I in 1553.
  
Can you see the action a little better here?  The ferret, and what a funny looking fellow he is, seems so eager.  Then there's the one rabbit poking out his head in the middle of the hill.  Don't think, bunny, just run.  I like how the artist thought to portray a rabbit looking and wondering.  I suppose when you're still quite close to having to snare or run down your dinner, every so often you celebrate the one who was canny enough to look you in the eyes and get away.

2 comments:

Bernadette said...

So people really did hunt with ferrets! I wonder if it was so long ago or if it just didn't translate to the States that we have little writing or painting about it.

grannyrose said...

Not just mediaeval - lots of country people in the UK hunt rabbits with ferrets NOW. The man who cuts our hedge does and brought his ferrets to show me last time he came!