quick historical question

[Magnus]

You know how when you see castles today, you often see them decorated with stuffed animal heads mounted on shields. Does anyone now when people started doing this? If I put something like this a late medieval castle would it be hopelessly anachronistic?

thanks

Magnus

[xxbattosaixx]

Stuffed Animal Heads?Are you talking about KK2 or something?If so,I doubt it's that real.

[Emperor James]

This belongs in Real Castles. As for the question, I have no idea. I'll ask my mom when she gets back from taking my brother to band camp.

[Formendacil]

Stuffed animal heads mounted on shields? I don't know if those are supposed to be shields or not, maybe just shield-shaped placards.

As for whether or not such things existed in real medieval times is beyond me, but since hunters today actually do stuff some of their great kills (in whole or in part), and since I believe that the middle Ages taxidermists probably had the technical skills to stuff an animal, I don't believe that it would be stretching the imagination too far to have one in your castle if in fact they never did exist in a historical context.

Of course, if I should have some glaring errors int heir theorum of mine, it will undoubtedly be pointed out, and I shall be subjected to the ridicule I so justly deserve for uttering so foolish a comment.

[Emperor James]

Okay, my mom (a history teacher) said that she thought they didn't appear until about the seventeen hundreds. That was off the top of her head, however, so it may be innacurate.

[doctorsparkles]

A quote that I found online (I don't have the URL at the moment):

Taxidermy apparently has its origins in the collection and preservation of skins and horns as hunting trophies. West African gorilla skins were brought back to Carthage by traveling warriors as early as the 5th century B. C. Stuffed animal skins date back to the 1600's.
Modern taxidermy seems to have had its start in America in the late 1800's. A company called Ward's Natural Science Establishment, in Rochester, NY, went into the business of museum supply and included mounted animal specimens in their catalog. Among the staff of talented naturalist-artists was a young man named Carl E. Ackley. It was his devotion to the idea of raising taxidermy to the status of an art that gave root to the development of modern taxidermy in America. About twenty years ago things changed. Someone took a finished deer head form and made a fiberglass mold... The era of modern taxidermy was born.

[Formendacil]

A quote that I found online (I don't have the URL at the moment):

Taxidermy apparently has its origins in the collection and preservation of skins and horns as hunting trophies. West African gorilla skins were brought back to Carthage by traveling warriors as early as the 5th century B. C. Stuffed animal skins date back to the 1600's.
Modern taxidermy seems to have had its start in America in the late 1800's. A company called Ward's Natural Science Establishment, in Rochester, NY, went into the business of museum supply and included mounted animal specimens in their catalog. Among the staff of talented naturalist-artists was a young man named Carl E. Ackley. It was his devotion to the idea of raising taxidermy to the status of an art that gave root to the development of modern taxidermy in America. About twenty years ago things changed. Someone took a finished deer head form and made a fiberglass mold... The era of modern taxidermy was born.

This would appear to jive with my (admittedly wild) guess: the medievals had the SKILLS to mount an animal head, etc., but didn't.

But if this isn't a strictly historical MOC, you probably could if you wanted to.

Not that I'm saying you should. As you've noted, the whole idea has been pounced on by cartoons, etc, and having one might lend a cartoonish air to your MOC.

[Jojo]

Hello!


Maybe they didn't do taxidermy in the way that they preserved the skin and fur upon the skull. But they most certainly adorned their halls with deer antlers and horns and bearskins and such.


Bye
Jojo