Crocuta crocuta (Spotted hyena) Possibly 1777

Editor: This drawing, *Crocuta crocuta (Spotted hyena)*, is attributed to Robert Jacob Gordon, possibly from 1777, done in watercolor. It's a peculiar composition; the hyena is facing away, showing us its back. What can you tell us about the role this image might have played at the time? Curator: It's fascinating because it highlights the intersection of natural history and colonial power. Gordon was a military officer in the Dutch East India Company. These meticulously rendered drawings served as a form of visual inventory, cataloging the natural resources of the Cape Colony. The hyena becomes a symbol of a land being mapped, classified, and ultimately, controlled. Editor: So, it's less about the hyena itself, and more about the act of documenting it? Curator: Precisely. Consider the act of naming, also present here in the notes on the page surrounding the drawing; to name something is to claim it, to understand its use, and to position it within a European framework of knowledge. How do you see that interplay happening within this image? Editor: Well, I noticed the detailed rendering, almost scientific. It feels less like an artistic interpretation and more like data collection. But it’s presented almost as a trophy too. Curator: Yes, there's an element of display here, connecting it to the public consumption of nature, shaping European perceptions of the colony’s "wildness". It influences, even if subtly, public and scientific perception in Europe. Editor: It’s striking how a simple animal portrait reveals such complex layers of power and control. It really makes you question the role of the artist and the audience within a larger system.