Joris Hoefnagel (Flemish / Hungarian, 1542 - 1600), and Georg Bocskay (Hungarian, died 1575)
A Sloth, 1561 - 1562; illumination added 1591 - 1596, Watercolors, gold and silver paint,
and ink on parchment
Leaf: 16.6 x 12.4 cm (6 9/16 x 4 7/8 in.)
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Or a tree kangaroo? 1500s Europe was mostly unclear on the difference, though the Hapsburg royal family in Vienna and elsewhere had menageries famed for their variety. This gorgeous image from the Getty is a mashup: as the object page explains, the words on their black-tinted parchment existed first, spelling out part of the Sermon on the Mount. Thirty years later around 1591-6 Joris Hoefnagel added the twig-munching creature in his fancy pavilion.
1 comment:
It would be a bit early for a tree kangaroo, wouldn't it? Had Europeans reached places where there are tree kangaroos at that stage?
I know the Buonapartes were massively interested in Australia and this area of the world, but that was later.
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