Bird of paradise from Conrad Gessner's Historiae Animalium (1551-58).
Featured on PDR in the essay Fallen Angels: Birds of Paradise in Early Modern Europe
When birds of paradise first arrived to Europe, as dried specimens with legs and wings removed, they were seen in almost mythical terms — as angelic beings forever airborne, nourished by dew and the “nectar” of sunlight. Natalie Lawrence looks at how European naturalists of the 16th and 17th centuries attempted to make sense of these entirely novel and exotic creatures from the East.
Also appearing in the essay…
Other works by the artist in the archive…
Bird of Paradise
Artist
Date
1551–8
From
Historiae Animalium
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