Eland 1550 - 1570

This ‘Eland’ is rendered in watercolour by an unknown hand. The big question is, what was the public role of images of animals in the period when this was made? Without knowing more about when and where this image was made, it’s difficult to say definitively, but we can look at some possible ways it would have been understood. One key aspect of understanding its meaning lies in understanding its function. Was it made to illustrate a scientific text? Was it more of a decorative piece, intended to communicate the wealth and education of its owner, through its display of exotic wildlife? To know more, we might look into inventories of natural history collections, to see how images of animals were being used and understood at the time. The meaning of art is always contingent on social and institutional context.