Bathyergus janetta (Namaqua dune mole-rat) Possibly 1777 - 1786

Robert Jacob Gordon depicted this Namaqua dune mole-rat with watercolor, revealing a creature more than just an animal. It is a symbol of survival and adaptation, rooted in the earth, reminiscent of ancient chthonic deities linked to the underworld and fertility. Consider how such earthbound figures appear across cultures, from the Egyptian god Anubis to the creatures in medieval bestiaries, each embodying a connection to the hidden, fertile aspects of the earth. This mole-rat, with its subterranean existence, mirrors those primal associations. Its depiction evokes a sense of the uncanny; we are drawn to its hidden life, its otherness, much like we are drawn to explore our own unconscious depths. The act of depicting this creature is itself a cultural act, a way of bringing the unseen into the light, thus revealing our own place in nature’s grand, cyclical design. This resonates through time, reminding us of the endless return and transformation inherent in life itself.