the king's white squirrel

David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

He's an odd-looking fellow, but he seems happy enough to stay put and have a nibble.  This is a white squirrel presented as a gift to Sweden's King Charles XI in July of 1696. He liked it so much that he commissioned its portrait from court painter David Klocker Ehrenstrahl, a prolific Rococo-influenced artist whose work encompassed the royal horses as well as the courtiers.  Ehrenstrahl also painted this sympathetic portrait of a dog with short spine syndrome.

kangaroo and squirrel. really

courtesy www.rijkmuseum.nl (PD)

"Eekhoorn in een boom en een kangoroe," reads the title of this graceful drawinng by Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof (Dutch, 1866-1924).  That is, it's a Squirrel In a Tree and a Kangaroo.  Not sure where Dijsselhof ever clapped eyes on a Kangoroe, but I've never seen such a curvaceous one (and that was a dead giveaway for his Arts and Crafts - era leanings).  Want to refer to the record at the Rijkmuseum?  Here is that link.

squirrels: hassling you since...ever

thanks pixabay

Yesterday while thinking about squirrels I also learned a bit more about Ratatosktr, the squirrel messenger of Norse mythology whose job was to scamper up and down Yggdrasil, the world-tree, bearing insults to the eagle at top and the dragon below.  I'd say more about him, but frankly this blog post at esoterx.com has me far beat.  Go!

squirrel thoughts

http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.5948 courtesy the rijksmuseum (PD)

The winter chill outside brings one particular squirrel to our bird feeders.  He must do quite well leeching off our winged visitors, as he's fat, though still able to outdistance the dog.  Off he goes, bouncing across the fencetops and leaving me with a yen to look up some squirrels of the past.  Here's a jewel I'd never seen before, from the Rijksmuseum: Francesco Montemezzano's "Portrait of a woman with a squirrel," c. 1565-75.  Can't see the squirrel very well, right?  Here's a squirrel-hance:

Look at the little belled collar.  Must have driven the little guy to distraction. (See how I didn't say "driven him nuts"?  I found this piece in an excellent list of squirrels in Medieval and Renaissance art, here.)
Montemezzano (Italian, c. 1540-1602) seems to have been a follower of Veronese's style; Veronese was known for the brilliance of his color and elegant portrayal of his sitters.

a snuffbox squirrel

the metropolitan museum of art - the jack and belle linsky collection, 1982

This porcelain treasure was designed and made at the Schrezheim factory in Schreizheim, Germany circa 1761-70.  The painter of this object, Johann Andreas Bechdolff, pops up reliably in searches for Schrezheim porcelain - here's a pug snuffbox he decorated.  He didn't only paint the tops of snuffboxes: at the Met page for this squirrel you can see the bottom and inside as well.  Why a critter on your powdered tobacco holder?  Think of it like a cell phone case: you personalize that with something you like, and carry it daily.  Same sort of thing.

a squirrel mug and a beautiful start

By Daderot (Own work) [Public domain or CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

This English earthenware mug dating from circa 1830-1860 is stout as it needs to be for a child's use.  At the same time, the lyrical illustration it bears of a feasting squirrel makes it appealing (I'd certainly like to own it).  Not only would the child using this have an example of well-executed drawing, but perhaps they also noted the squirrel too is gaining nourishment. What better encouragement for a young one?  I can hear it now: The squirrel eats breakfast, and so must you.
If you're interested, here's the website for The Potteries Museum, where you can learn more about Staffordshire wares like this one.

the journalist's pet squirrel

thanks british library (PD)

William James Stillman (American, 1828-1901) was one of those 19th-century Renaissance men who did many things well.  An artistic talent who became a major journalist and war correspondent, he also served as US Ambassador to Rome, roomed with Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and at one point unsuccessfully applied to take over the excavations at Knossos, Crete.
Among other works, late in life he wrote an article on his pet squirrels Billy and Hans.  Expanded and revised, it became a book after his death - a gentle and charming one, with an introduction that holds a heartfelt plea for our thoughtful care of our fellow creatures.
Today I'm offering you a bit from the first chapter of "Billy and Hans," in which Stillman acquires his friend Billy as a baby.
***
In my favourite summer resort at the lower edge of the Black Forest, the quaint old town of Laufenburg, a farmer's boy one day brought me a young squirrel for sale. He was a tiny creature, probably not yet weaned, a variation on the ordinary type of the European squirrel, dark grey instead of the usual red, and with black tail and ears, so that at first, as he contented himself with drinking his milk and sleeping, I was not sure that he was not a dormouse. But examination of the paws, with their delicate anatomy, so marvellously like the human hand in their flexibility and handiness, and the graceful curl of his tail, settled the question of genus; and mindfulof my boyhood and a beloved pet of the American species of his genus, I bought him and named him Billy.
 From the first moment that he became my companion he gave me his entire confidence, and accepted his domestication without the least indication that he considered it captivity. There is generally a short stage of mute rebellion in wild creatures before they come to accept us entirely as their friends—a longing for freedom which makes precautions against escape necessary. This never appeared in Billy; he came to me for his bread and milk, and slept in my pocket, from the first, and enjoyed being caressed as completely as if he had been born under my roof.
No other animal is so clean in its personal habits as the squirrel, when in health; and Billy soon left the basket which cradled his infancy, and habitually slept under a fold of my bed-cover, sometimes making his way to my pillow and sleeping by my cheek; and he never knew what a cage was except when travelling, and even then for the most part he slept in my pocket, in which he went with me to the table d'hote, and when invited out sat on the edge of the table and ate his bit of bread with a decorum that made him the admiration of all the children in the hotel, so that he accompanied me in all my journeys. He acquired a passion for tea, sweet and warm, and to my indulgence of this taste I fear I owe his early loss. He would, when placed on the breakfast table, rush to my cup and plunge his nose in when it was hot enough to scald him. This peculiar taste I could never account for.
He had full liberty to roam in my room; but his favourite resort was my work-table when I was at work; and when his diet became nuts he used to hide them among my books, and then come to hunt them out again, like a child with its toys. I sometimes found my typewriter stopped, and discovered a hazel nut in the works. . . .

- Stillman, W. James. (1914). Billy and Hans, my squirrel friends: a true history. Portland, Me.: T. B. Mosher. 3-6.

squirrels for your wall - agapanther tiles

image copyright and by kindest permission of the artist

This sweet and graceful tile has an Arts and Crafts, William Morris feel to it that I find irresistible. The squirrel's tail curves in a way that echoes the tree branch; the acorns and oak leaves are tender and tiny to fit the space.  I was not surprised (but oh so pleased) to see that its creator, Barbara Clark of Agapanther Tiles, likes this useful art because it allows us to integrate art into our lives on a daily basis.  That's a perfectly William Morris thing to feel and live and believe.  You'll enjoy looking at Barbara's Etsy shop, where loads more creatures have their own tiles.

two pretty creatures

thanks brooklyn museum (PD via wikimedia ommons)

Here's a sweet young thing, hair and gown fluffy and flowing, romping with a pet.  At first glance it all seems so innocent, and I'm sure it is.  Yet "The Squirrel" (circa 1896), intimate as it is, still has a feel of presentation, of greater purpose.  This doesn't surprise me, as Sir James Jebusa Shannon (English, born American, 1862-1923) was well-known for society portraits.  When most everything you create is meant to shore up a persona, it must be a hard habit to break.  Was it a lucky accident that this pretty girl, with all her future to arrange before her in whatever limited fashion permitted, had a pet squirrel?  Squirrels are known for their diligence in planning for the winter, and have been thought also to symbolize flirtatiousness, even voraciousness.  Not that this is a bad mix, depending on the squirrel.

a squirrel has the right idea for winter

image copyright and by kindest courtesy of the artist

In my mind's eye, this is what I imagine (hope) all the squirrels look like in winter.  They're all curled up snugly next to lots of food, waiting for warm blue skies again.  I guess Oregon artist Kristi Heck wishes the same thing here in her painting "Tree Squirrel."  I love how the simple stout forms and bold colors make it a talisman of the thought.  If it had been a realistic portrayal, I'd have passed it right by.  What stopped me most was that she showed the squirrel as blue: a restful, peaceful color, the color of a better day.
Here's K. Heck on herself and this piece:

I'm an artist, my name is Kristi Heck. This little tree squirrel is part of my hibernation series. I completed this small body of work during what seemed like the coldest winter on record - - though I was often told it was particularly mild! Our small family lived in the Republic of Panama for six years. Panama is a tropical paradise. It's pure jungle. We moved back stateside during the winter, mid December to be exact, to a small town in Oregon. Oregon winters are rainy but not overly cold. But to us, it felt bitter bracing arctic. I could not collect enough blankets, wore layers of sweaters, and painted cozy animals hibernating! I'm in the process of taking individual paintings and developing them into fabric lines (which are available for purchase at spoonflower.com - - search for me under "k heck art" or "animal dreams series"). Although winters do not feel as cold as that first one, I'm happy to feed my (and other's) blanket and quilt craze!

And you can get this piece and others here at her Etsy shop.

a squirrel of spring

image copyright and by kindest permission of the artist

"Most of my inspiration comes from being a florist, working with alpacas, and living in a school bus," writes Iowa artist Katie Vernon.  You can certainly see that first influence in this squirrel, as lush blooms stand in for a fat tail fluff.  It's stunning next to the simple line drawing of the rest of the critter.  You can see more flora/fauna mashup over at her Etsy shop ChipmunkCheeks (have a look at this hedgehog!).  I really like the friendly elegance of her drawings, but she also works in other styles, as you can see when you visit her website, Katie Vernon Art.

squirrel: don't leave home without one

Courtesy of the rijkmuseum - http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.48328  
Purchased with the support of the F.G. Waller-Fonds - PD

The date is 1795, and this stylish young Parisian lady (helpfully noted as "unmarried") is taking the air in this scene from a series of French fashion plates.  Light and fresh, her gown keeps her unhampered from enjoyment of the natural world around her, not least the company of her pet squirrel.

scuggy was a happy squirrel

illustration by carl offerdinger (PD)

From an 1842 collection of essays on animals, here's a charming story of a picky pet squirrel:
* * *
Squirrels are easily tamed by kind treatment. I had one given me, which I kept for a long time in a very large parrot's cage, which, by the bye, was a much more comfortable and airy house for him than what is generally sold for squirrels.  

My Scuggy was very tame, and so fond of me, that a very laughable scene took place on one occasion in consequence. I kept him in my own room, and had always cleaned out his cage myself, giving him fresh sand and wool every morning. At length I got tired of doing all this, and deputed it to the housemaid. Now Mr. Scugg was a particularly good-natured little fellow, and always made a point of sitting up on his hind legs, holding a nut between his two front paws to crack, whilst I was cleaning his cage; however, as soon as the housemaid took it in hand, no powers could coax him out of his wool, and he flew at her immediately, if she attempted to rouse him. I thought he must be ill, as he would not make his appearance when I called him, and was never to be seen otherwise than curled up in his wool, and ate and drank scarcely anything. 

This went on for a whole fortnight, the squirrel growing more snappish and ill-natured every day; but as I did not fancy his cage was so thoroughly clean and fresh as when I attended to him, I one morning determined to recommence my labours. I had no sooner pulled out the drawer to put in fresh sand, than out bounced Scuggy from his wool, seating himself up to eat his nut as formerly, now and then throwing it down, and scampering about his cage in a perfect ecstacy, putting his paws out of the wires to take hold of my hand, and then sitting up again to let me rub his head. All that day he continued in the same high spirits, and as I henceforth invariably attended upon him, he was himself ever afterwards; but my having so unceremoniously turned him over to the housemaid had so seriously affronted him, that I think it would have ended by breaking my little pet’s heart. His cage was always placed on a small Indian cabinet, just in my sight as I lay in bed; and every morning regularly was he to be seen poking his little sharp nose through the wires to watch me; and as soon as I opened my eyes, that moment he uttered a shrill squeak of delight.
 * * *
From "Author of Poetic sketches". (15). Original anecdotes of British quadrupeds. 130 p.: ill., pp. 117-119.

wall squirrel

"zarateman" via wikimedia commons, creative commons attribution-share alike 3.0

Somewhere on a lucky wall on the Basque town of Ugao-Miraballes, this urban squirrel is chilling and was snapped for posterity in January of this year.  Thanks, photographer Zarateman.

friends in the forest - kittelsen's "cat and squirrel"

thanks the-athenaeum.org (PD)

Turns out I should have heard of Theodor Kittelsen (1857-1914) a long time ago, as he's one of Norway's most popular artists.  This is Cat and Squirrel from 1893.  Warm, lively and cheerful, it has the intimate feel for nature that you see in Romantic art, but with a smaller, cozier focus.  Kittelsen looked at trolls, water spirits, country lanes - and also at disease, loneliness, and starvation.  His illustrations for a book of poetry titled Svartedauen (Black Death) are filled with menace, but no less understated and beautiful for all that.