Hert before 1650

Antonio Tempesta created this engraving of a 'Hert' - or deer - on paper in the late 16th or early 17th century. But this is no ordinary deer, this is a 'sea deer', or Capreolus Marinus. This print belongs to a tradition of representing nature that was popular at the time. A growing number of Europeans began exploring the world, and prints like this were a way of documenting the amazing things they supposedly saw. But, this wasn't objective documentation, of course. Viewers back home had certain expectations, and they wanted to be amazed and titillated by new discoveries. Tempesta was working in Italy, and he understood the expectations of his audience. So, while this print might seem straightforward, it's actually a product of cultural desire and the developing institutions of art and science. To really understand this image, we need to examine texts and images from the period and study the institutions in which they were produced. That will give us insight into the social and cultural context that made this image so compelling.