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The conservation of taxidermy is the ongoing maintenance and preservation of zoological specimens that have been mounted or stuffed for display and study. Taxidermy specimens contain a variety of organic materials, such as fur, bone, feathers, skin, and wood, as well as inorganic materials, such as burlap, glass, and foam.
As documented in Frederick H. Hitchcock's 19th-century manual entitled Practical Taxidermy, the earliest known taxidermists were the ancient Egyptians and despite the fact that they never removed skins from animals as a whole, it was the Egyptians who developed one of the world's earliest forms of animal preservation through the use of injections, spices, oils, and other embalming tools. [3]
Today, Van Ingen taxidermy mounts are found in private collections [7] and museums throughout the world. Some can be found in auction houses throughout Britain at times finding fetching high prices. Today there is little to no information regarding possibly one of the greatest taxidermy firms in the world, apart from P.A. Morris' studies.
The word taxidermy describes the process of preserving the animal, but the word is also used to describe the end product, which are called taxidermy mounts or referred to simply as "taxidermy". [1] The word taxidermy is derived from the Ancient Greek words τάξις taxis (order, arrangement) and δέρμα derma (skin). [2]
The result was so amazing, Christiansen-Senk entered her recreation in the 2009 World Taxidermy Championship, where she won first prize for the best recreation and the Judge's Choice Best in Show against real animal taxidermy entries. [37] Samson remains on permanent exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum.
The Lion of Gripsholm Castle is a notable example of a poorly performed taxidermy located in Gripsholm Castle, Sweden. The lion is badly stuffed and is considered to have a comically deformed face. [1] In 1731, the dey of Algiers, Baba Abdi, presented King Frederick I of Sweden with a lion, one of the first lions in Scandinavia. [2]
Bird and mammal specimens are conserved as dry study skins, a form of taxidermy. [1] The skin is removed from the animal's carcass, treated with absorbents, and filled with cotton or polyester batting (In the past plant fibres or sawdust were used). Bird specimens have a long, thin, wooden dowel wrapped in batting at their center.
A dorsal incision is made by laying the animal on its abdomen and making a single cut from the base of the tail to the shoulder region. The animal's skin is easier to remove if the animal has been freshly killed. [11] Cape skinning is the process of removing the shoulder, neck and head skin for the purpose of displaying the animal as a trophy. [12]