Tragelaphus scriptus (Bushbuck) 1778

Curator: Immediately, the elegance of the bushbuck strikes me. There's a grace in its stance and a stillness in the watercolor illustration itself. Editor: And what a perfectly poised subject it makes! This delicate watercolor rendering comes to us from 1778 and the hand of Robert Jacob Gordon, and is entitled *Tragelaphus scriptus (Bushbuck)*. Curator: Its very pose harkens to older, European traditions of noble portraiture—albeit transposed to the African landscape. Gordon, of course, was working at the Cape. It makes one wonder about the precise function and display context of these images. Editor: It certainly seems to elevate this particular bushbuck to the status of something special. The subtle white spots scattered across its body remind me of constellations; is it a symbolic connection to the stars perhaps, an implied commentary on its inherent worth? Curator: It would depend on his audience. To a European viewer, it would likely be presented as scientific, contributing to a wider cultural project of classifying and ordering the natural world, especially those newly encountered. To indigenous viewers, though...? Editor: Exactly. An existing iconography or cultural memory surrounding this animal might well have informed how the image was both made, received, and understood locally. It’s interesting how the supposed objective eye of scientific illustration can carry such culturally-contingent information. The gaze, you might say, is never neutral. Curator: True. But given his position within the Dutch East India Company, I am inclined to think the intended audiences and its impact would remain weighted toward scientific documentation and use. Editor: Well, wherever the intent lay, for a moment the image allows one to reconsider our relationship with other living things and what symbolic and emotional significance the animal world carries. A worthwhile reflection, indeed. Curator: A fine, speculative note to end on.