De neushoorn Clara, 1741 1747

Editor: So, here we have “The Rhinoceros Clara, 1741,” an engraving by H. Oster, created in 1747. It's…striking! I'm immediately drawn in by the animal's sheer bulk and the almost comical details – that segmented hide! What strikes you when you look at this, beyond the obvious, I mean? Curator: Ah, Clara! She was quite the celebrity in her day. For me, it’s the way this print embodies a clash of cultures. It’s supposedly a “true likeness,” yet there's this odd blend of scientific observation and, dare I say, almost fantastical representation. That rhino armor plating feels…almost manufactured, doesn’t it? Do you feel like this captures the beast? Editor: "Manufactured" is the perfect word! It reminds me more of a medieval suit of armor than animal skin. So it wasn’t necessarily about accurately portraying the animal, but more about creating a symbol, maybe? Curator: Exactly! It speaks volumes about how Europeans in the 18th century viewed the exotic. Clara wasn't just a rhino; she was a spectacle, a living cabinet of curiosities. That very formal almost historical painting background gives the animal importance beyond mere anatomy. Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way. Seeing her as a “spectacle” rather than a creature being respectfully represented is interesting and says a lot about how people must have perceived her back then. Curator: It’s easy to see art as timeless, isn’t it? But truly engaging means digging into the cultural assumptions of its time. Otherwise, we only see a rhino, not the story it tells. What a traveling life she must have had. Editor: This really changed how I look at it – from a simple image of an animal to a window into history, revealing a complex relationship between cultures and our understanding of the natural world. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! Looking closely can change everything, can't it?